Double Tree Hill Hotel
by Sweet Sarcasm
Summary: The maid’s daughter and the hotel heir promised each other always and forever as young children. But the fairy tale dream is shattered when reality destroys everything. When Haley becomes a maid at the hotel, will Nathan still be her Prince Charming?
1. Love

**Title:** Double Tree Hill Hotel

**Author: **Sweet Sarcasm

**Rating: **PG-13 for language and teen situations

**Author's Note: **Hey, everyone! Okay, so I've been horrible with updating The Bachelor. Please don't kill me. I'm suffering from writer's block with that story, and this is my newest project. So please be patient with me and I'll try to have the fourth chapter up before school starts.

Anyway, this story is a modern Cinderella, making it an AU. The first chapter is more of a prologue and focuses on Haley and Nathan's childhood. To be honest, it's not that exciting, but the beginning is cute and the ending is rather angsty. My beta left for Hawaii today, so this is un-betaed. This was inspired by "Eloise at the Plaza."

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the One Tree Hill characters, song lyrics, or the quote.

* * *

**Who do you turn to when the only person  
in the world that can stop you from crying****  
is exactly the one making you cry?**

**Unknown**

* * *

"1…2…3…4…5…" counted a tiny six-year-old girl, her eyes screwed shut. Giggles were heard nearby, but she ignored it. "6…7…8…9…" She was tempted to skip a few numbers and go straight to 100, but unlike her partner, she never cheated. After finally reaching the dreaded number, she called out, "Ready or not, here I come!" She scrambled towards the usual hiding place; behind the lobby desk. Not there.

She continued her search throughout the hotel, peeping behind every door and poking her nose through every plant. Finally, she found her target hidden in a pile of dirty clothing. "AHA! Found you!" she cried out dramatically, dragging the little boy out of his hiding place.

"No fair," pouted the little boy, his big blue eyes stubbornly looking away from the little girl's brown ones. "You cheated."

"Did not," retorted the little girl. "I won fair and square. So there." She stuck her tongue out childishly, the little boy retaliating with his own tongue out.

"I don't wanna play anymore," whined the little boy. "I wanna jump on the beds! Daddy told me they just got new mattresses on the fourteenth floor. Let's go!" He grabbed the little girl by the hand, and started to drag her towards the elevator.

"But Naaaaaaaaate," protested the little girl. "My mommy told me not to do that anymore. She said I would be in big trouble if I did that again." She tried to stay rooted to her spot, but the boy tugged on her harder.

"You won't get in trouble. I promise," the little boy told her proudly. The little girl looked up to him.

"Promise?" she asked warily, eyeing the boy suspiciously. He nodded solemnly.

"Always and forever," he promised her. She broke out in a grin.

"Okay, let's go!" the two six-year-olds raced towards the stairs; they had been banned from the elevator a week ago. Laughing, they zigzagged up the flight of stairs, dodging various guests and employees. Once, the little girl tripped over one of the stairs, but the little boy had helped her up, and holding hands, they made it to the fourteenth floor.

Panting, they hid behind a huge potted tree while they waited for one of the maids to finish cleaning the rooms. The little boy turned to the little girl and said, "One of these days, I'm gonna marry you, Haley James." He held her hand, and swung it back and forth.

The little girl smiled shyly, swinging his hand in return. "And I'm gonna marry you back, Nathan Scott." Closing her eyes, she leaned forward, her lips slightly puckered.

Nathan grimaced, but since he loved that little girl, he also closed his eyes and leaned forward, and their lips met briefly. He opened his eyes, and spit on his sleeve. "Bleh! Ew, girls have cooties!" He ran away from Haley and into one of the rooms.

Little Haley narrowed her eyes, afraid that the tears might fall over. _Big girls don't cry_, her older sister often told her. After her eyes had dried, she ran into the room that Nathan had occupied. He had taken over one of the beds, and was bouncing up and down, up and down.

They were caught a few minutes later, but it had been worth it. Nathan was sent to one of the many rooms in the hotel, and Haley was told to stick with her mother at all times. Her mother scolded her, and told her to sit in the corner of every room she cleaned. Haley licked her lollypop as she watched her mother make every bed, using her special technique known as the "Lydia James Tuck and Fold."

* * *

Haley had met Nathan a few weeks ago in the hotel's kitchen. Her mother was a maid at the Double Tree Hill Hotel in the city of Charlotte. Haley was often forced to tag along because her father worked full time and her siblings didn't like to be bothered with their little sister. Haley loved to watch the interesting guests that inhabited the five star hotel. She dreamed that one day she would be rich and famous and have a life similar to the fabulous guests.

Her new friend, Nathan Scott, was the heir of the fabulous hotel and the grandson of the founder, Royal Scott. His father had wanted him to know the family business at a young age, and after enduring an hour of boredom, he found Haley making mischief in the kitchen. They quickly bonded and soon became the best of friends.

However, their fun ended a few weeks later when September approached. "I have to go back home," Nathan said unhappily. "I'm starting kindergarden, and my mommy said I have to stay at home until school starts."

Haley was dismayed. "Do you have to leave? Stay here!" she begged, tugging on his shirt. "You can go to kindergarden with me here. Please?"

Nathan smiled sadly. "Sorry, Hales. My daddy is forcing me," he said in a low voice, as if his dad was right behind him. "But I'll try to come at Christmas."

Haley's brown eyes lit up. "Ooh, it's so pretty here during Christmas, with all the lights and the snow and the trees and the presents. I'll get you a present if you get me one," she offered shyly. Nathan grinned.

"I'll get you the best present ever," he promised. They smiled at each other.

"NATHAN!" yelled an angry voice from the lobby. Nathan sighed.

"That's my dad," he told Haley. "I gotta go." Haley tried to stop the tears from overflowing, and barely succeeded. "Bye, Haley." Nathan waved a final time, and walked away from a sniffling Haley.

"Bye, Nathan," she whispered when he had disappeared. "Always and forever."

* * *

Months had passed, and Haley worked hard in kindergarten. She hardly visited the hotel anymore because she had made a new friend, Brooke Davis. On their very first day of kindergarten, some mean boy named Michael Buck had stuck his foot in the middle of the aisle, causing Haley to stumble and fall flat on her face. Brooke had ultimately saved her, punching Michael in the nose which had earned her a time out. Ever since that moment, they had been the closest friends, even though Haley didn't forget about Nathan.

However, Brooke was just as mischievous and often got herself and Haley into trouble. Christmas break was finally rolling in, and Brooke and Haley were inseparable. "Piglet, wanna go to New York City with me and my mommy and daddy for Christmas?" an excited Brooke asked, bouncing up and down. They were making holes in the sandbox. "We go every year, and my mommy said this year I could bring a friend! It's so pretty, Hales, you'll love it! I got my baby doll from there."

"Penelope?" Haley scrunched her nose.

"Yup!" beamed Brooke, her huge brown eyes shining. Haley grinned.

"I love Penelope! But I don't think I could go, Tig, I have to stay here," Haley said mournfully, her grin sliding off. Brooke's smile turned upside down.

"But why?" she cried. "I'll ask my mommy to talk to your mommy. I bet they'll let you!"

Haley bit her lip. "I can't. I promised my friend Nathan that I would see him at Christmas." Brooke frowned.

"Nathan? But I thought I was your best friend," pouted Brooke, throwing her shovel down. Haley gulped.

"You are my best friend, Tigger," she tried to console her. "Nathan's my friend, too."

"Nuh uh. I'm not your friend anymore. You can't have more than one friend, Haley James!" Brooke stuck her tongue out and stomped out of the sandbox, walking over to a group of girls by the jungle gym. Haley felt like crying, and just finished up making her creation.

When the last bell had rung, Haley was surprised to see her mother picking her up. Usually, she just walked home with her sisters and brothers, but now they were nowhere to be found. "Mommy? What are you doing here?"

"Well, Quinn, Vivian, and Taylor all got invited to parties and your brothers are with your dad to see a hockey game over by the high school," replied Lydia James, opening the door for her youngest daughter. "I thought you'd like to go to the hotel with me for a couple of hours. We'll eat at the restaurant and everything. How does that sound?"

"That sounds good!" exclaimed Haley. But when she saw Brooke walking with her mom to the car, her demeanor changed.

"Hales? What's the matter?" her mother asked, starting the car. She peeled out of the parking space and started driving to the hotel.

"Nothing," sighed Haley. "Brooke and me got in a fight, that's all."

"Brooke and I," corrected Lydia. She glanced at her daughter, her head resting on the armrest. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," mumbled Haley, gazing out at the window. Some fluffy snow had floated down to the windshield. It was the first snow of the season.

Lydia shrugged. "If you say so."

They pulled up to the employees' parking lot in the structure. Shivering, Haley pulled on her parka which had been handed down to her from her older sister, Taylor. Taking hold of her mother's hand, they raced to the entrance of the hotel. "Hello, Bill!" Haley cheerfully addressed the doorman.

The middle-aged doorman smiled, opening the door for Haley and her mother. "Hello, Haley. Haven't seen you for a while. How's preschool?"

Haley stomped her foot. "I'm in kindergarten!"

Bill pretended to slap his forehead. "Whoops, I forgot. Kindergarten. Well, you two better get in, it's getting chilly out here." He gestured to the hotel. "I think you might even find a surprise inside." He winked at Haley.

"Thanks, Bill," Lydia smiled gratefully. She tugged Haley in before she could ask any more questions.

Bill chuckled. "Ah, young love."

"Mommy, what was Bill talking about?" persisted Haley, pinching her mother's arm. She was punished by a light slap. "OW! Mommy!"

Lydia sighed. "Haley, dear, why don't you go over by the lobby? I need to talk to Mr. Maraschino about something." Mr. Maraschino was the manager. She tapped Haley from the behind. "Now, run along."

Haley trudged over to her usual couch that she sat in whenever she had to wait for her mother. She was startled to see someone already napping on her spot. He was laying face down, his dark brown hair ruffled and tangled. She bit her lip, unsure of what to do. She cleared her throat. "Um, excuse me, but you're sleeping on my couch…" she began in a small voice.

"Go find another couch. I got here first," grumbled the occupant. Haley frowned. He sounded just like her brothers and sisters, always bossing her around.

"Excuse me, but it's not your couch!" Haley whispered angrily, not wanting to attract any attention. An angry groan was emitted from the boy, and he rolled off the couch.

"Fine, take your old couch!" he griped, getting up to move to a new couch. "Geez."

Haley fought to hold back her tears and her lower lip quivered. She had always been a sensitive girl, and she did not like it when someone was mad at her or teased her. "I," she started off, then stopped suddenly. "Nathan?"

The boy stopped rubbing his eyes long enough to peer up at the girl. "Haley?" They squealed, and gave each other a hug. Nathan pulled out quickly, though, in fear of getting caught.

"Merry Christmas!" Haley grinned. Nathan grinned back.

"I have a present for you, but my mommy has it. I'll give it to you later," Nathan told her. Haley nodded.

"I got you something, too. My mommy needs to wrap it still," she explained. Nathan beamed, and looked at the elevator.

"Ready for some elevator racing?" he challenged her, itching to race over to the golden elevator. Haley grinned.

"Duh!" She pushed Nathan onto the couch, and took off, giggling. Nathan's blue eyes narrowed, and soon he was hot on her trail.

Hours later, it was time for Haley to eat dinner and then go home. Panting, they leaned against the wall closest to the entrance. "Man, that was fun!" exclaimed Nathan, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. Haley's head bobbed up and down in agreement.

"I need to bring Brooke up here so we can try it sometime," she said thoughtfully. Nathan frowned, and turned to Haley.

"Who's Brooke?" he asked, his brows crinkled.

"My best friend," Haley replied nonchalantly, not really looking at Nathan. "She's my Tigger." She giggled.

"Oh," Nathan responded dully, sinking farther down the wall. "So you actually like kindergarten?"

"Yup!" chirped Haley. She finally looked towards Nathan. "Don't you?"

Nathan shrugged. "I guess so. I'd rather be playing outside, that's all," he mumbled. "There's this kid, Tim, and he follows me everywhere! He even dresses up like me. It's so annoying."

"Oh," said Haley, not knowing what to say. She fingered her braids that Quinn had done for her.

"Nathan? Is that you?" A pretty blonde woman who had just entered the hotel was now walking towards Nathan.

Nathan gave a feeble wave. "Hi, Mom."

"What have you been doing since I left you? Not getting in trouble, I hope," Nathan's mom said exasperatedly. Haley knew the tone oh-so well. Nathan's mom finally noticed Haley. "Oh, hello. And who are you?"

"Haley James," Haley said shyly. She looked down at her feet.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Haley," Nathan's mom said warmly. "Nathan's told me so much about you. We even went to the Tree Hill Mall to buy you a nice present."

Haley blushed. "Thank you," she replied softly. "My big brother Matt helped me get Nathan a present, too."

"That is so sweet," Nathan's mom cooed. She had a very pretty smile. "I'd hate to stop you guys from playing, but it's time for Nate's bath."

"Aw, Mom!" whined Nathan. His mother just ruffled his hair.

"Nathan can play tomorrow, and he'll give you your present, too," offered Nathan's mother, smiling.

"Okay, Mrs. Scott," Haley said eagerly. "I have to go eat dinner with my mother, too."

"Oh, is your mother here?" questioned Nathan's mom.

"Yup," nodded Haley, her braids bouncing up and down. "She's a maid here."

Nathan's mother was surprised for a moment, but that quickly passed. "Oh. How interesting." She turned to Nathan. "Well, let's go, Nate. I'm sure Haley's starving and we don't want to keep her mom waiting. Haley, it was nice to meet you. We'll see you tomorrow." She ruffled Haley's hair.

"Bye, Nathan. Bye, Nathan's mom," Haley added shyly. Nathan's mother smiled, and led Nathan away to the elevator.

* * *

The next day, Haley went to the hotel with her mother because there was no school that day. She clutched Nathan's present close to her chest, afraid to let it drop. The night before, Haley had helped her mother wrap the present. She even pasted the bow all by herself.

Haley found Nathan sitting over by the lobby, bouncing a rubber ball by himself. Grinning, she snuck up behind him and covered his eyes with her hands. "Guess who!"

"Haley!" guessed Nathan. Haley took her hands off and flopped down beside him.

"I have your present!" she exclaimed, pushing the package towards him.

"I have yours, too," Nathan told her. They swapped presents. They blinked. "Can we open them?"

Haley was tempted to rip the wrapping paper off, but Christmas was still days away. "I don't know, Nate," she said hesitatingly. "I'm not allowed to open any of my gifts before Christmas."

Nathan rolled his blue eyes. "Aw, come on, Hales," he wheedled. "It's just one present and I want to be with you when you open your present. I want to see if you like it." He pouted. Haley couldn't resist.

"Oh, all right," she grumbled, ashamed that she was blushing. She slowly started to undo the paper. "I'm sure I'll like whatever you…Nathan!" She gasped. Smiling from behind a plastic screen was a beautiful doll. Reddish-brown curly locks framed the heart-shaped face, and when Haley tilted the box, the long lashes revealed beautiful brown eyes. The doll was wearing a velvet green dress and black Mary Janes. "Oh, Nathan," Haley whispered. "She's so beautiful." Nathan blushed.

"My mom and I were in the toy store and I saw it. It kinda looked like you, so we bought it. It was my mom's idea, though," Nathan added quickly. He was turning very red. So was Haley.

"Thanks, Nate," Haley said softly. Nathan was so red, he could only nod. It was getting very warm in the hotel lobby…"Why don't you open my present?" she suggested quickly. Nathan nodded and quickly tore through the wrapping paper, unlike Haley.

"Whoa, Hales! This is awesome!" he exclaimed, the color from his face subsiding. It was a brand new Spalding basketball. Haley shrugged, a pink tinge overcoming her cheeks again.

"I knew you liked basketball, and all my brothers play, so…" she trailed off. "Do you like it?"

"This is so cool!" exclaimed Nathan, ripping the box open. He tossed the ball up and down. "Thanks, Hales!"

"No problem," Haley said offhandedly, fingering the box the doll came in.

Nathan grinned at his present, and then looked at Haley. "Hey, do you want to have a snowball fight on the roof?"

"On the roof?" laughed Haley, turning the box over. "Nathan, that's crazy." But Nathan grabbed her hand and started to drag her to the elevator. "Nathan!"

But Nathan wasn't listening to her. "We'll put our toys behind the desk and just play for a few hours. We won't get in any trouble." He grabbed her doll and threw it in the shelf behind the desk along with his basketball.

"That's what you said last time!" protested Haley. She tried to hold back, but he was too strong for her.

"But no one's going to think we're up in the roof," countered Nathan, pushing the black button on the wall. He dragged Haley into the elevator, along with an elderly couple. They smiled at the young children who were arguing animatedly. "And it's not like we're going to mess up anything this time." He tried to reach the top button, but he was too short. He resorted to jumping up and down, but that attempt failed. Nathan turned to the old couple. "Do you mind pressing that button for me?"

The old man chuckled and complied with his request. "How old are you guys?" the old man asked as the elevator started to move up.

"Six," Haley and Nathan chorused, holding up six fingers.

"I'm older," boasted Nathan. Haley snorted.

"Nuh uh. I was born in February. You were born in June. I'm older," argued Haley.

"No, I'm older!"

"I'm older!"

The elderly couple smiled at each other as they left the two children arguing in the elevator. By the time they reached the top floor, Haley and Nathan had forgotten what they had been fighting about. "Wow," breathed Haley, her warm breath forming a small cloud. She shivered.

"Isn't it great? My mommy took me here yesterday before you came. We made snowmen right there." Nathan pointed to the far corner where a slightly puffy snowman had been formed. "Now, let's have a snowball fight!" He ran to the other side of the roof and started to make snowballs.

"I don't know, Nathan," Haley said worriedly. "This might not be the best idea."

Nathan snorted. "You aren't scared, are you?" he taunted. Haley's hands flew instantly to her hips.

"I am not! I just think – hey!" A snowball had hit her squarely on the chest. Nathan giggled. "Oh, that's it!" Haley started forming her own snowballs and soon a full-fledged snow battle had begun.

"Ha! You missed!" Nathan's muffled voice exclaimed. Haley couldn't see him.

"I'm gonna get you," she threatened, and started to run towards the direction of his voice. She didn't see the patch of ice that gilded a small portion of the roof, and slipped. A nail protruding from the wall scratched her palm, and blood gushed onto the white, untainted snow. Haley screamed.

"Haley?" Nathan came skidding to a stop when he saw Haley clutching her bleeding hand, tears leaking from her eyes. He knelt down beside her. "What happened?" he asked worriedly.

"I-I slipped, and hurt my hand," hiccoughed Haley. Nathan helped her up, and slowly they made their way back to the hotel, running into Haley's mother.

"Oh, my God, Haley, what happened to you?" Haley's mom dropped the basket of laundry she had been carrying and ushered her daughter inside one of the vacant rooms. Nathan followed, tears beginning to form in his own eyes.

"I scr-scratched my hand," explained Haley, holding out her palm. Her mother bustled into the bathroom and returned with Band-Aids and Neosporin.

"It was my fault, Mrs. James," Nathan admitted tearfully. "I'm sorry." His lower lip started to tremble, and unshed tears were housed in his sad, blue eyes.

"Oh, Nathan, it wasn't your fault," consoled Lydia. "It was just an accident. They happen all the time."

Haley whimpered and burst into tears when her mother applied Neosporin to the wound. Nathan turned slightly pale.

"Nathan, why don't you go find your mother?" Haley's mom suggested quietly to the young boy. "I think Haley needs to rest for awhile." Nathan nodded, and turned to Haley.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. Haley just looked away, and dejectedly, Nathan walked away.

* * *

The next day, Haley sat by herself in the hotel kitchen, trying to read a picture book. She was soon joined by Nathan, who was gripping on to a Cracker Jack box. Haley tried to ignore him; she was still angry with him for yesterday's incident. Nathan sighed and opened up the snack box. Inside was a multi-colored plastic bracelet. He smiled at it, and then slipped it onto Haley's wrist. "Don't say I never got you anything," he told her.

Haley smiled. The scar on her palm and that bracelet would remain with her for years to come, a reminder of what had happened so many years ago.

* * *

It would be two more years before they saw each other again. Haley and Brooke got into trouble every now and then, but nothing too serious. Haley's mother still worked at the hotel, but Haley rarely accompanied her anymore. Nathan had become a faded memory, something that had been in the past. Haley still kept the bracelet and she wore it almost every day out of habit. The meaning and significance behind the plastic jewelry slowly became forgotten, but the comfort it gave her from day one lingered.

"Haley, I need you to come with me to the hotel today," Lydia told her youngest daughter one summer day. School had just gotten out, and Haley had just completed second grade with honors.

"Why can't I stay here?" whined eight-year-old Haley. She was lounging on the window seat, reading a thick book.

"Haley Alana James, I'm not going to leave you here all by yourself!" scolded Lydia. "Your father's at work, Quinn's still at Rebecca's sleepover, Taylor and Vivian went to the beach with their friends, and Matt and the twins went to the park to play basketball. You're too young to stay here without an adult."

Haley groaned, and chucked the book onto her bed. She pulled on a skirt and T-shirt, stuffed some snacks and her book into her backpack, and stubbornly followed her mother to the car. Usually, she would've stayed with Brook at her house, but Brook and her parents were in California, visiting her relatives.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Miss Haley James!" whistled Bill. He still looked the same after all these years. "Wow, you sure have grown up since the last time I saw you."

"Hello, Bill," Haley addressed him shyly. She hadn't visited the hotel for years, and seeing her old friends was awkward for her, seeing as she gotten shyer as she grew up.

"You tagging along with your mother?" winked Bill. He could tell that Haley wasn't too happy with that particular arrangement.

"Unfortunately for her," put in Lydia tiredly. She thanked Bill for opening the door and then turned to Haley. "Hales, why don't you go to the pool to read your book? We have a lot of guests today, and I don't want you taking their seats by the lobby or the café. I don't think there's anyone swimming at the pool at ten in the morning." Haley made a face, and made her way through the crowds of people to the indoor pool, which was on the same floor as the lobby.

Haley found a chaise close to the pool, and propped herself on top of it. There was hardly anyone in the pool except for two boys her age and an elderly couple. The boys were noisily splashing each other and constantly racing around the pool. Haley assumed that the old couple was their grandparents because they were frequently scolding the boys for making so much noise. She sighed, and opened her book, keeping an eye on the boys every now and then.

A few minutes later, the elderly couple emerged from the shallow end of the pool and stepped out of the pool. "Nathan, Lucas, we're going up to our room. Will you guys be okay by yourself?" asked the old woman.

"Yes, Grandma," the dark haired boy groaned exasperatedly. "We know." He dunked the blonde boy under the water.

"Nathan!" the old man rebuked sharply. "I want you two to behave. Got it?"

"Yes, Grandpa," chorused the two boys. The old man started to walk out the pool area, but the old woman lingered behind. After being assured they would be fine, she followed her husband out.

The moment their grandparents left, the boys jumped out of the pool and chased each other around, even though it was against the rules. Haley tried to concentrate on her book, but with all the ruckus, it was too hard. However, Haley hated confrontations, so she just dealt with the noise. But her patience was thinning as the boys began splashing each other, wetting Haley and her book. She couldn't take it anymore. Slamming her book, Haley walked over to the pool's edge and yelled to get the boys' attention. "Hey! Hey!" she screamed. They stopped splashing and looked up at her. "Can you please stop making so much noise and splashing everywhere? I'm trying to read here!" She held her book up for good measure.

"What normal person reads by the pool?" scoffed the dark-haired boy. "That is so stupid!"

Haley's eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth to make a retort, but the blonde one spoke up first. "Hey, what book are you reading?" he asked, genuinely interested. The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes, and turned over to float on his back.

"Black Beauty," Haley responded, showing him the cover once more. "I'm almost finished with it, and it's really good."

The blonde boy nodded. "I read that a while ago. It was good."

Haley blushed; she never had anyone to talk to about books. Her older siblings weren't too fond of reading, and when they did, it was some teen books she didn't understand. Brooke thought reading was a waste of time, and had trouble reading. Plus, this boy was somewhat cute. "I'm Haley."

The blonde smiled. "Lucas. Lucas Scott. And this," he jerked his thumb at the other boy, "is my half-brother, Nathan."

Haley frowned, wondering why this name sounded so familiar. As a matter of fact, this Nathan boy looked oddly familiar as well. Apparently, Nathan thought the same thing because he stopped floating on his back to look up at Haley. "I knew a Haley once. We played in the hotel all the time when we were younger," he said, his eyes falling to Haley's bracelet. It was the one Nathan had given her two Christmases ago. "Hales?"

"Nate?" squealed Haley. A smile blossomed on her face. "It is you!" She came closer to the pool's edge and stopped, unsure of what to do. Nathan grinned and splashed water on her. "Hey!"

"I haven't seen you in forever!" he exclaimed, swimming closer to her. He pulled himself out of the pool and stood right next to Haley. He had grown a few inches taller than her. "Wow, you're short."

Haley stuck her tongue out at him. "Whatever. What are you doing here?" By this time, Lucas had joined his brother, who was the same height as him.

Nathan shrugged. "My family's here for some convention thing. Luke and I had nothing to do, so we just came here. I tried looking for you a couple of times, but you're never here."

Haley stuck her book in her bag, which was lying next to the chaise. "I haven't been here for awhile. My mom made me come here today because I'm not allowed to stay home alone." She rolled her eyes.

Lucas laughed, his pale blue eyes twinkling. "We know what you mean. Right, Nate?" He nudged his brother on the side.

Instead, Nathan pushed him into the pool, shocking Lucas. Growling, Lucas grabbed Nathan by the ankle and dragged him down. Haley shrieked, and jumped back to avoid getting sucked in. "C'mon, Hales, jump in!" Nathan called, wrestling with Lucas.

"I'm fine," she called back meekly. She warily watched as the boys stopped splashing each other and started whispering something. Whatever they were saying did not look good. "Guys? What are you talking about?"

At that moment, the boys dove deep down the pool. When they didn't reemerge for what seemed like minutes, curiosity and fear took over Haley. She crept closer to the pool's edge, searching for any sign of the boys. "Nathan? Lucas?" Haley whispered timidly. Suddenly, a hand grabbed one of her ankles, and another grabbed her other one. She screamed as she was brought into the wet depths. Haley clung onto the wall and would not let go.

Nathan and Lucas swam up beside her, shaking with laughter. "Man, the look on your face!" chortled Nathan, slapping the pool wall. Lucas wasn't as vocal as his brother, but found the situation as hilarious.

"That's not funny!" snapped Haley, her eyes tearing when she saw that her book had sunk to the bottom. "I don't know to swim!"

The boys stopped laughing and stared at Haley. "What do you mean, you don't know how to swim?" frowned Lucas. "Everyone knows how to swim."

"Not me," gritted Haley. "Can you help me out of the pool?"

Nathan got out first, and offered his hand to Haley, who took it. "Hey, you still have that scar from the snow!" he exclaimed, smiling at the past memory.

"Thanks to you," Haley retorted. She turned to Lucas, who was still treading in the water. "Do you mind going down and getting my book?" Lucas shook his head, and soon his blonde head disappeared. Moments later, he emerged, the soggy book clutched in has hand.

"I don't think you can read it anymore," he said sheepishly, presenting it to Haley. She sighed.

"Oh, well. I'll just finish it at the library," she murmured. Again, Nathan felt the same guilt that had been present that fateful Christmas, when Haley scratched her hand.

"Sorry, Haley," he said quietly.

Haley smiled impishly. "It's fine." She shivered, the wet clothing clinging to her body.

"Here, you can use my towel," Nathan told her. He ran over to one of the tables to retrieve a fluffy green towel. He handed it to Haley, who took it gratefully.

"Thank you," she said politely, wrapping it around her body. "I wish I had brought some extra clothes with me." She rolled her eyes.

"Hey! We can get you some clothes from the gift shop!" Lucas piped. He climbed out of the pool, and walked over to grab his own towel, a fluffy blue one. "I'm sure Grandpa won't mind, will he, Nate?"

Nathan shook his head. "It's perfect! Let's go!" He grabbed Haley's hand, who pulled back long enough to grab her bag, and along with Lucas, they took off.

After "buying" some Double Tree Hill Hotel clothes, the three eight-year-olds decided to get ice cream at the café. Licking his spoon, Lucas asked Haley, "How did you guys meet?"

Haley and Nathan exchanged a look, and pointed to the golden elevator. "We'll show you!"

A friendship was formed between Haley and Lucas, and her friendship with Nathan was rebuilt. They spent the rest of the day exploring the hotel and riding on the elevator, getting in as much trouble as they possibly could get in. Problems and ailments were forgotten once they entered that magnificent elevator, and like life, they would experience the ups and downs together.

* * *

Five more years would pass before the three would be united once more, and it was then when the changes began to set in and lines were drawn. It was a rainy weekend in June when Nathan's thirteenth birthday party was held at the hotel. Haley had just turned thirteen months before, and her quiet nature dominated her life. Brooke still remained her best friend, even though her interest in boys became a dominant factor in her life. Haley was still the shy, sweet girl who did everything everyone told her to do. So it was a no-brainer that she would go to the hotel with her mother on that weekend to help with the party. This time, Haley's older sister, Taylor, would join them.

"I can't believe I have to help with some rich dweeb's party!" complained Taylor as they got out of the car.

"Taylor!" scolded Lydia. "Be nice." Taylor snorted, and turned to Haley.

"Wasn't this guy your boyfriend?" she asked bitingly. Haley turned pink.

"No! We are…were just friends," Haley mumbled. Taylor rolled her eyes and remained silent for the rest of the walk.

When they got inside, the girls were shocked to see the state of the hotel. It had been covered with wall-to-wall white lights, and blue balloons floated at the top of the ceiling. "Damn," whispered Taylor. "All this for a thirteenth birthday party? I didn't even get the two-layer cake I wanted. Stupid rich kids." Haley remained silent; she herself had received a small birthday celebration with her family and Brooke.

A harried blonde woman hurried over to the James girls. It took Haley awhile to realize that it was Deb, Nathan's mom. "Oh, good, are you helping with the party?" she asked, slightly out of breath. They nodded. "Great! I need someone to help with the food and people to blow balloons. You girls can do that, and can you help with the food?" she asked Lydia. Lydia nodded. "Excellent! Girls, you can go to that table and blow the balloons with the machine over there." She directed them to a table in the far corner. "Blow as many as you can."

"That sounded so wrong," Taylor muttered to Haley as they walked towards the table.

"What are you talking about?" asked Haley, confused. Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Never mind!" snapped Taylor. "Here, I'll work the machine and you can tie the balloons." Haley nodded.

After working for forty-five minutes, the birthday boy and Lucas burst into the hotel, chatting loudly. Haley's eyes lit up, and she wondered if she should say hello to them. However, Deb sent Nathan and Lucas over to her anyways, telling them to take the balloons somewhere else. "Why do I have to do this?" complained Nathan, walking over to Haley and Taylor. "It's my birthday!"

Lucas just shook his head. "Dude."

"What?"

"Stop being such a brat," Lucas told him calmly, finally reaching Haley. She gulped, and handed the balloons over without saying a word. However, Lucas frowned in confusion, and his face lit up in recognition. "Haley?"

"Hey, Lucas," Haley said shyly. Nathan had joined Lucas, grabbing some more balloons.

"Let's go, Lucas!" groaned Nathan, pushing him. He didn't seem to notice Haley, even though she was right in front of him. For some odd reason, Haley's heart began to beat faster and she gulped. Nathan sure had grown up over the years, and Haley had never felt so self-conscious in her life.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Nate." He gestured to Haley. "Don't you remember Haley? Haley James?"

Nathan eyed Haley, clearly checking her out. "Oh, hey, Haley. I haven't seen you in awhile!" He grinned at her, but for the first time, Haley felt herself turn warm.

"Hey, Nathan. Um, happy birthday," she said quietly. Nathan nodded.

"Again, you disappeared on us during all these years. What happened?" asked Nathan, leaning against the table. Haley blinked.

"Oh. I-I was busy with the same old, same old. School, friends," she babbled. Behind her, Taylor tsked.

"Cool," nodded Nathan. He turned to Lucas, who also had grown up quite a bit. He was handsome, too, but not as much as the dark-haired Nathan. "C'mon, Luke, Mom is going to have a cow if we don't follow her orders."

Lucas sighed. "Your mom can be so bossy." He turned to Haley. "Hey, are you staying for the party?"

"Oh…I don't know," Haley replied. "I might have to, though."

"You should come tonight," Nathan told her. "It's going to be the best party ever." He flashed her that smile that up until now, Haley had always been immune to. But not now…

"I'll think about it," she smiled. Nathan and Lucas grinned.

"Great. We'll see you tonight at seven!" With their arms full of balloons, the boys trudged away from the table, chatting excitedly about tonight. Haley let out a long breath, not realizing she had been even holding it.

"Oh, man," Taylor chuckled sarcastically. "Now you're in for it." Haley shook out of her daydream and turned to her older sister, puzzled.

"What are you talking about?" Haley asked confusedly. Taylor just shook her head.

A few hours later, Taylor and Haley finally finished all the balloons. Nathan and Lucas had been replaced with two other hotel employees, and they just sat in the kitchen, exhausted. But their relief was short-lived right when Deb came in looking for both of them. "Oh, there you are!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "I know you two are probably tired, but I was wondering if you guys can stay tonight and help with the party. Serve food, clean up, get the guests' coats…I know it's too much to ask from you, but I promise you'll be paid." The blonde woman seemed absolutely exhausted, and it seemed too harsh to refuse the offer. Taylor and Haley exchanged a look.

"We'll help with the party," Taylor told her dully. Deb's face lightened up.

"Great! Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me!" She strode away, humming some merry tune.

"This is just what I need, some bratty, rich thirteen-year-olds being served by us," griped Taylor, pounding her fist on the linoleum counter. "This is just freaking great."

Haley didn't reply, just elated that she would get to see Nathan again. "Do you think I should get him a present?" she wondered aloud.

Taylor glared at her. "You are so blind, Haley. God!" She stalked away, the kitchen doors swinging behind her. Haley just stared after her, confused.

* * *

That night, the hotel was buzzing with excitement. Haley had never seen so many people her age in one spot. There were also many important looking adults, chatting by the lobby. All of the young people were grouped everywhere else. The hotel had never looked grander. Blue and white balloons floated high above their heads, and white lights flashed on and off. A small band played on one side of hotel, playing some rock song everyone seemed to know.

While all the guests were donned in formal clothing, Haley felt extremely out of place with her normal work clothes. "Let's do this," Taylor grumbled, picking up a tray of fancy hors d'œuvres. Haley did the same thing, and they walked around the room, offering the small snacks to random people.

When she reached Nathan's group, Haley had never felt more humiliated in her entire life. Nathan noticed her, and motioned her over. Her head hung low, Haley walked over to them. "Would you like something to eat?" she mumbled, still not looking up.

"I'm glad you came, Haley," Nathan told her happily. "This is Tim, Skills, Fergie, Junk, Peyton, Bevin, and Theresa." At each introduction, each mentioned person would raise a hand, smile, or nod. "And of course, you know Luke." Lucas smiled warmly.

"Hey, Haley. What's up?" he asked her, his calm voice emitting friendliness. However, this did not comfort Haley at all, and all she could do was nod.

"Not much," she replied quietly. She shuffled her feet, still not looking up. "Listen, I have to go back to work. Does anyone want anything?"

"Sure," they replied. Everyone took something, except for Theresa who claimed to be full.

"Well, I have to go now," Haley said lamely, finally looking up to get a good look at everyone. The first person she noticed was Peyton; she was clearly the prettiest of all the girls. She had this golden, curly hair that Haley and Brooke had always wanted and beautiful green eyes. She was wearing this beautiful red dress with very thin straps, something that Haley would never wear. She also noticed how Nathan kept on staring at her. Gulping, Haley turned around, afraid that her tears would spill. But fate wasn't too kind.

"That is so awesome!" the one called Tim exclaimed. "I've always wanted to be a servant!" He pretended to carry a tray similar to Haley's and served the guests 'food.' "Can I use your tray?"

Before Haley could respond, he grabbed the tray from her, not realizing how light it was. The food went flying in the air, landing all over Haley. The sauces had toppled over her chest, seeping through her clothes. Haley just stood there in shock, not knowing what to do. "Whoops," Tim said sheepishly.

Completely humiliated, Haley spun around and ran into a tall redhead, who had been carrying a tall glass of soda. The soda splattered both of them. "Hey! Watch it, wench!" the redhead growled.

Almost in tears, Haley ran to the kitchen, ignoring the calls of the other children. Taylor was already there, getting ready for the next round. "Haley! What happened to you?" she asked, her cold demeanor temporarily shucked.

"Mind your own business!" snapped Haley. Taylor was surprised, but let it go.

"Fine. Be that way," she said coolly. "Get cleaned up and then go out there." She left her poor sister behind, brushing past her.

"Are you all right, sweetie?" one of the employees asked, handing her a napkin. Haley nodded, tears leaking from her eyes.

"I'm fine," she sighed. "But I don't have any other clothes, and I can't go out there."

The employee smiled. "Don't worry, I'll cover for you. Just go over to the bathroom and try to get yourself cleaned up. You don't want to be sticky all over, do you?" She pointed to where the bathroom was located.

"Thank you," Haley said gratefully, trying to wipe the sauce off her clothes.

"No problem." The woman grabbed one of the trays and quickly exited out of the kitchen.

Haley stared at herself in the mirror as she washed up. She certainly wasn't as pretty as Peyton; she had straight, auburn hair and brown eyes. Nothing special about that. The incident kept on swirling in her head; the part where Tim had called her a servant stuck out the most. Haley closed her eyes. She had never thought herself of a servant, but it was true. She was just dirt on the gleaming floor that Nathan and his friends belonged on.

Strains of slow music began to play in the lobby, and Haley decided to lay low and watch the people dance. Slipping through the bustling employees, Haley stood behind a huge potted plant, hidden from the glamorous world even though she had the best view of them all. Her eyes fell to the middle of the room, where an attractive couple her age was slow dancing, her arms around his neck and his hands on her waist. The boy had dark hair and was the most handsome of all the boys there. The girl had curly blonde hair and was wearing a red dress. It was Nathan and Peyton.

Haley willed herself to look away, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from them. So she had no choice but to see the boy she had loved since she was six lean in to kiss the beautiful Peyton, someone Haley could never be. The moment their lips made contact was the moment when Haley's heart broke into a million pieces. A jagged sob escaped her lips, and tears fell from her eyes. A cruel chuckle caused Haley to finally turn away from the awful scene and she found herself face-to-face with her sister.

"You finally got it now, didn't you?" Taylor asked her quietly. It wasn't quiet in a good way; the way she said it made Haley think of that redhead who bumped into her; it was cruel. "Wake up, Haley! Nathan's too good for you. You'll always be the maid's daughter, the lowest in the social chain. You will never be good enough!" She gestured to the dancing couples, gleaming jewels in the dark world. "So why don't you all do us a favor and grow up? You're too old to believe in fairy tales." She just shook her head mockingly and left Haley alone.

"_You will never be good enough." _Taylor's words echoed over and over again. Finally breaking down in tears, Haley whirled around and never looked back.

**

* * *

**

I used to think that I wasn't fine enough

**And I used to think that I wasn't wild enough**

**But I won't waste my time trying to figure out**

**Why you're playing games.**

**What's this all about?**

**And I can't believe**

**You're hurting me.**

**I met your girl,**

**What a difference**

**What you see in her**

**You can't see in me.**

**But I guess it was all just make-believe.**

**Love by Keyshia Cole

* * *

**

Author's Note: Okay, so maybe it wasn't the best, but reviews are love. Ten reviews would be lovely. :)


	2. Cruel to Be Kind

**Title:** Double Tree Hill Hotel

**Author: **Sweet Sarcasm

**Rating: **PG-13 for language and teen situations

**Author's Note: **Okay, I know you all want to see me die a painful death for not updating this story in over two months. dodges flying knives But I've had the worst writer's block lately, and it just disappeared a few days ago. The first quarter is also ending, which means I can start over new with school, which has been giving me so many problems. I'll try to have the next chapter up…before Thanksgiving. That's my goal. You guys have been so great, and the reviews are fabulous. I have so much planned with this story, and let's just say it'll be one wild telenovela…

Oh, and for you Bachelor readers…I'll be lucky if I have the next chapter up by Christmas. I've lost interest in the story, but I swear I'll finish it if it's the last thing I do.

**Disclaimer:** I own neither the characters, the quote, or the song.

* * *

**The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to do. **

**-John Holt

* * *

**

**Five years later...**

"How come every time you come around, my London, London, London Bridge want to go down? Like London, London…" sang Brooke, waving her arms around wildly. Haley winced, and stepped away from the pretty cheerleader.

"Brooke, will you please shut up?" Haley asked through gritted teeth. Whenever Brooke heard a song she liked on the radio, she would always insist on singing along, no matter how horrible a singer she was. It was rather frustrating.

"Aw, cheer up, Tutor Girl! It's the first day of summer!" chirped Brooke, prancing towards the revolving doors. Haley continued her walk at a normal pace, making no effort to catch up with her energetic friend.

"And yet we're here, working," deadpanned Haley. "This is not how I imagined I would spend my last summer here."

Brooke stopped twirling and looked at her depressed friend. "Oh, please, let's not talk about college! That subject is so…depressing. I'd rather live in the moment, Hales, than think about the future. So just relax and enjoy the ride. Hey, Bill!"

Throughout the years, faithful Bill had kept his post as doorman, always offering a quick smile whenever the girls needed one. "Hello, Miss Davis, Miss James. Congratulations on graduating from high school!"

"Thanks, Bill!" Brooke said giddily. "Any famous superstars check in today?" It was an on-going joke between the two, and it never got old.

Bill pretended to think about it, and snapped his fingers. "As a matter of fact, the cast of Desperate Housewives just came in a few moments ago. That Eva Longoria was giving me that look, you know."

"Ooh, that means that Jesse Metcalfe must be here! I wish he would trim my bushes," Brooke said wistfully. Haley scrunched her nose.

"Ew, Brooke, that's nasty," she said, covering her ears. Bill just shook his head.

"So, what colleges are you planning to attend?" he asked, opening the door for a family of four. "Good old Duke University?"

"Uh, I'm still undecided," Brooke said sheepishly. She turned to Haley. "But Haley here…"

"Is undecided as well," Haley replied quietly. Brooke sighed.

"She got a full ride scholarship to Stanford University, and she's disappointed," Brooke whispered to Bill, rolling her eyes. "She's just depressed because that may mean that she'll be far away from me." Haley made a face.

"Oh, please, Brooke, you got into the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco," snorted Haley. "You know you want to go there."

"That doesn't mean I could afford it," argued Brooke. Haley remained quiet; Brooke's parents had recently lost their jobs and it had come to a shock to the spoiled Brooke.

"Hey, where's Jake?" Bill quickly interrupted. "I heard today was going to be a big day, and they're going to need all the bellhops they have."

"Still delivering pizzas," replied Haley. "Today's his last day."

"Well, we gotta go," Brooke said, not as vigorous as she had been a few seconds ago. "Macready is out for our blood." Bill roared with laughter as he opened the door for the girls.

Their manager was waiting for them inside the lobby, impatiently tapping her foot. "Where have you girls been?" she barked. "You're one minute late!"

Brooke checked her watch. "Actually, we're seventeen…eighteen seconds late." Macready glowered at her.

"Don't act sassy with me, young lady!" scolded the old woman. Though she was three inches shorter than Brooke, her bark was worse than her bite. "Today is a very important day for us, and I won't have you two ruining it! Now, the seventh floor needs their sheets change. Move it, move it, move it!" She shoved the girls towards the stairs.

"That's one person I won't be missing when we leave," Haley said dryly. "Move it, move it, move it!" She giggled.

"Don't act sassy with me, young lady!" Brooke mimicked, waving her arms around wildly. "Man, she's such a grouch. She needs a lover." Haley scrunched up her nose.

"Ew, Brooke, mental images. Macready and some old guy getting it on? Ew!" squealed Haley, hip-checking Brooke. Brooke bumped her right back, and they laughed.

After climbing up seven flights of stairs (employees weren't allowed to "mingle" with the sophisticated guests on the elevator), the girls began their daily routine. "I wonder what she meant by it being an important day today," Brooke said thoughtfully, stripping the sheets off the bed. Haley shrugged.

"I bet it's just some stuck-up donor wanting to stay the night," she replied, throwing the blinds open. She smiled when the sunshine rested on her face and a view of the vast city lay beyond the balcony. "You want to vacuum this floor, or should I?"

Brooke flipped the mattress over, pushing it so it would be parallel to the bed frame. "You vacuum. I'll do the next floor." Haley nodded, and walked out to the hall to retrieve the vacuum. "It's hard to believe that we're not in high school anymore."

"What?" Haley came into the room again, pushing the bulky vacuum in front of her. "I couldn't hear you."

"I was just saying that it's weird that we're not in high school anymore," remarked Brooke, throwing fresh sheets over the mattress. "We're almost adults. Soon, we'll be able to drink and vote, and then we'll finish college, get a real job, and then get married and become parents. How weird is that?"

Haley chuckled. "You've been drinking since we reached high school."

"Uh, no, I started junior year," corrected Brooke, fluffing the pillows. She smoothed her hair back. "But seriously, doesn't it feel…surreal?"

Haley shrugged. "I guess so. I mean, I thought I would always be stuck to this horrible hotel forever." She sighed, and turned the vacuum on, pushing it back and forth.

"You staying at my house tonight?" Brooke yelled over the noise.

Haley snorted. "Brooke, please! I practically live at your house. If my parents didn't come back once a year, I would've sold the house a long time ago." She turned the vacuum off and took it back to the closet.

"Where are they today? Aruba?" Brooke commented dryly.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Try Wisconsin."

"What's over there?" asked Brooke, her pretty face scrunching up in confusion. Haley rolled her eyes again.

"They wanted to try the cheese over there," she replied. She checked her watch. "Two more hours till break."

"And one more floor," sighed Brooke. She glanced out the window, watching the cars inch their way out of the traffic. "Sometimes I wish I was rich again. Then I wouldn't have to stay here all the time."

Haley laughed sarcastically, joining Brooke at the window. "It's depressing, watching all the rich and snobby saunter in here, lavishly throwing their money all over the place."

"Okay, enough with the big words," whined Brooke, nudging Haley in the ribs. "And yeah, it is. It's weird to think that almost two years ago I was a part of that world. Now it's just a dream…a seemingly perfect life."

"More glitter than gold," Haley replied softly. She fingered the plastic bracelet on her wrist, sighing sadly. "God, this is so depressing. Let's finish up and have some fun. I'll buy you ice cream." She grinned, knowing that ice cream was Brooke's ultimate weakness.

Brooke brightened up. "Double brownie sundae?"

"But of course!" giggled Haley, linking arms with the tall brunette. "Now, come, we have work to do before their royal highnesses return."

"Royal highnesses, my ass," muttered Brooke, kicking the bed before leaving the room.

After they finished the first floor and begun work on the second, their friend Jake decided to drop by. "How are my girls?" he laughed, his brown eyes twinkling. "Working hard?"

"Oh, shut up," pouted Brooke, chucking a pillow at him. He easily caught it with one hand. "I hate when you do that."

"Aw, don't be jealous of my excellent reflexes, my clumsy little friend," smirked Jake, throwing an arm around Brooke's shoulder.

"Ah, yes, I remember. You're referring to the incident of '04, correct?" grinned Haley, finishing one of the beds.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" screeched Brooke, covering her ears with her hands, shoving him away. Jake laughed.

"If I remember correctly, it involved Brooke's great-great-great grandfather's paperweight which was made of…I forgot. Haley?" he turned to the slightly shorter girl.

"Porcelain from China, I believe," Haley put in. "And when we said, 'Catch, Brooke!' all she did was…"

"Turn around with a deer-in-headlights look as the weighty paperweight cracked on her nose," finished Jake. Poor Brooke was still mumbling to herself, trying to cover up the sound.

"You know, on warm days, you can still see the scar," laughed Haley, peering at Brooke's face. "See, there it is!" Brooke slapped Haley's hand away.

"You guys are horrible. I don't even know why you guys threw the stupid paperweight at my face," she sulked, refusing to look her friends in the eye. They just laughed.

"Aw, baby, I took you out for dinner, remember?" Jake reminded her. Brooke made a face.

"Whatever," she grumbled.

Jake Jagelski was Brooke and Haley's best friend. He often acted as their older brother, often beating up guys that hurt the girls or harassed them. To some people, their close relationship was rather shocking. Jake and Haley had met in English class back in sophomore year, where Haley had discovered some of Jake's lyrics scribbled on his notebook. They found out they had many things in common, and started to date. However, they realized they were too much alike and broke up three months later. That was their reason, but the truth was that Brooke was attracted to the handsome basketball player/aspiring musician. Exactly a day after Haley and Jake broke up, Brooke asked Jake out, with Haley's blessing. But it was too weird for the two to date because they acted more like brothers and sisters than boyfriend and girlfriend. They broke up a month later.

Jake got involved with a girl named Nicki, even though Haley and Brooke heartily disapproved. Nicki used to bully Haley around when the girls were younger, and as they grew older, Nicki had moved on to taunting the shy girl viciously. As a result, Brooke would stick up for her friend, and the two brunettes were the worst of enemies. Nicki was also known to sleep around and she wasn't too friendly with the female population at their school. A few months later, Nicki became pregnant, and Jake convinced her to keep the baby. Shortly after giving birth to a beautiful girl that they named Jenny, Nicki ran off with the male nurse, leaving Jenny with Jake. After a few stressful months, Jake obtained full custody of Jenny, and worked part-time to support them. Haley and Brooke pitched in as well, replacing Nicki as Jenny's mother.

"You guys will never guess what's happening at the hotel this summer," Jake said excitedly, flopping down on one of the already-made beds. Haley made a face, and left the room to get the vacuum.

"Surprise us," Brooke deadpanned, still not over paperweight incident.

Jake ignored her. "The owner of the hotel, Royal Scott, is retiring and he's giving the company to his heir, Dan Scott. This guy is planning to extend the hotel chain worldwide. Isn't that awesome?"

"Uh, boring," yawned Brooke. Haley came back into the room, her arms full of sheets. "Is that the hotel's big news?"

"What big news?" asked Haley, tossing the dirty sheets in one corner.

"Some guy is going to extend the Double Tree Hill hotel chain across the world," responded Brooke before Jake could say a word. "That's the highlight of our summer."

"Is that what Macready was making a huge deal about?" frowned Haley, tossing a pillow to Jake. "That woman overreacts to the smallest things."

"Word," agreed Brooke, tossing her hair behind her shoulder.

"He's supposed to be coming today, and that's why everyone's uptight," continued Jake, changing the pillow cover. "I can't believe Royal's stepping down."

"What type of name is Royal?" mused Brooke, rearranging the chairs around the table. "I mean, why would you name your kid after an adjective?"

"Take away an O from Brooke, and you would be Broke!" teased Haley. Brooke pretended to fake laugh.

"Oh, you are hil-arious, Tutor Girl," Brooke gritted out. "I almost died there. Ha. Ha."

"Don't die yet, Davis. We still need you to clean out the bathroom," grinned Haley. Brooke growled, and threw a pillow at Haley, who ducked. "Missed! As usual. And we wonder why you don't play any sports."

"Are you saying cheerleading's not a sport, Tutor Girl?" challenged Brooke. "I'll have you know that cheerleading's…"

"A highly competitive sport that involves the elements of dance, gymnastics, and stunts to create a highly complex routine," recited Jake and Haley dully.

"Exactly," said Brooke, satisfied with their answer. In response, she was clobbered by two flying pillows.

After the three had finished their work, they went down to the café to get some ice cream. They were met with very glum employees and employers sitting around the lobby. The guests were oblivious to the sadness and bustled around as usual. Haley caught the elbow of one of their friends, a young receptionist named Daisy. "Hey, what's going on?" she asked quietly, not wanting to be heard. The strawberry blonde sighed glumly.

"The heir's son just had a heart attack, and he hasn't woken up yet," Daisy said just as quietly. "And no one knows what's going to happen next with the hotel."

"Are we going to lose our jobs?" asked Brooke, shocked. Daisy shrugged.

"At this point, no one knows what to do," whispered Daisy. She jerked her head toward one of their managers, a young blonde named Jamie Redwell, "Jamie was so upset when she heard the news, she accidentally dropped this crystal vase belonging to one of the guests who was honeymooning here."

"Jamie and heart attack guy are probably having an affair," Brooke whispered back. Haley and Jake swatted her on the head. "Ow! It's probably true."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Daisy, we're going to get some ice cream. Want to join us?"

Daisy smiled and shook her head. "Nah, I have lifeguard duties coming up. Thanks, though."

"No problem." The trio left the depressing lounge and maneuvered their way around the guests to the café.

Once they had ordered their usual, they sat at a small table, quietly eating their ice cream. "Daisy's hot," Jake commented out of the blue, spooning some Rocky Road ice cream into his mouth. Brooke swatted him.

"I thought I was hot!" she whined, pouting into her brownie sundae that Haley had promised her. Haley snorted.

"Aw, you'll always know you're my girl," Jake told her teasingly. "But can't a guy check out some girls once in a while?"

"You don't hear me and Brooke talking about guys when we're around you," Haley pointed out, licking her spoon. Jake snorted.

"So squealing about how hot Sean Faris and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers are isn't talking about guys?" Jake shot back.

"Hello, they're famous! Hales and I don't have a chance," Brooke replied, rolling her eyes. Jake's eyes lit up.

"So does that mean I have a chance with Daisy?" he asked eagerly. The girls groaned. Jake laughed. "Fine, I'll stop. That's depressing, about the heir's son getting a heart attack and all."

"I can't afford to lose my job," Brooke said, depressed. She finished her ice cream sundae in three spoonfuls. "I hope he recovers or whatever."

"Guess that mean's Star's is closed tonight," sighed Jake. Star's was an open mic night for the young hotel employees and locals. Jake and Haley often participated, winning small prizes here and there. He turned to Haley. "Yo, Hales, I was thinking that you and I could do some covers one of these days."

"Sure," Haley said, shrugging. She pushed her paper cup away. "But how are we going to cover a song if we're missing a drummer and keyboardist?"

"Well, technically, you can play the keyboard pretty well and sing at the same time…I can play the guitar and sing…and maybe we can teach Brooke how to play the drums," smirked Jake, throwing an amused glance towards the brunette. Brooke made a face.

"Oh, please. I don't even know what type of music you guys play," she replied loftily. "I mean, the only rock song I know by heart is Boyfriend by Ashlee Simpson." She pretended to strum a guitar as she sang Ashlee's lyrics. "…_didn't steal your boyfriend!"_

Jake and Haley groaned. "Ashlee Simpson is not a rock band," Haley said as patiently as she could, rubbing her eyes. "She's pop."

"She has drums and a guitar!" countered Brooke. Jake and Haley just shook their heads. "Whatever, you guys just have weird tastes, that's all." She stole some ice cream from Jake, emitting a growl from the owner.

At that moment, Daisy ran into the café. "Hey, you guys, you'll never guess what just happened!"

"They made condoms with Hello Kitty on them!" guessed Brooke. She was met with blank stares. "What? It could happen."

"Uh, no. But apparently there were two heirs named in the contract, and he's coming tomorrow!" squealed Daisy.

"So we don't lose our jobs! Great!" Brooke said, relieved.

"What's this one's name?" asked Haley, not really listening to the conversation. She twirled a saltshaker between her fingers.

Daisy shrugged. "Starts with an N. Nick or Newton or something like that. I don't know."

Brooke laughed. "Well, if the owner's name is Royal, this one's name is probably Noogie or Neville or something equally weird."

Daisy giggled, shaking her head. "Probably. Well, I gotta get to work. And Jake, your parents are waiting for you by the lobby. They have Jenny with them."

Jake groaned. "Dammit, I forgot. Thanks, Daisy." The young girl smiled and with a final wave, left the other teens.

"What's up?" asked Haley, concerned. "Is Jenny okay?"

Jake ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, but my parents are leaving for Cairo tonight, so I have to take care of Jenny 24-7."

"We'll help," Brooke volunteered, gesturing to herself and Haley.

"Of course," Haley said warmly. "Whatever you need, you know where we are."

Jake smiled gratefully at his friends. "Thanks, guys." He stood up. "Well, I have to talk to my parents. They're probably just stopping by to leave instructions or something. I'll be right back." He jogged out of the café.

Brooke sighed as she watched Jake run over to his parents. "Poor Jake," she said after a while. "It's going to be so stressful here this summer, and he has Jenny with him."

Haley nodded, tracing the pattern on the table. "Yeah, well, hopefully Sam won't be too hard on him." Sam was Jake's employer. "Which reminds me…I'm going to be late to work tomorrow. I have to wait for this package from Quinn, so do you mind covering for me?"

"Sure, no problem," responded Brooke, twirling her dark hair. "God, I need to get my hair trimmed. I hate these split ends!" She grimaced as she held her hair up in the light.

Haley shook her head. "You are so shallow."

Brooke threw a napkin at Haley in response. "Thanks, best friend. And weren't you just asking me to cover for you? Yeah, don't think that's gonna happen…"

Haley laughed. "Love you, too, Tigger."

* * *

Haley and Brooke spent the rest of their afternoon prepping the hotel for the mysterious heir, nicknamed Noogie, courtesy of Brooke. They weren't allowed to prepare the suite that he was staying in, but they had to take over the floors the other employees had abandoned. Jake was performing his usual bellhop duties, but he was called to lifeguard duties for a couple of hours. He had special permission to leave work early since his parents' flight left at nine, and he didn't have a babysitter lined up for Jenny. He took the opportunity to rub his freedom in the girls' face before he left, and after narrowly dodging pillows and an expensive candle (Brooke), he went home. 

Around eleven thirty, Haley and Brooke staggered back to Brooke's house, exhausted from working overtime. Brooke's parents were out at some business party, and after taking long, hot showers, both girls crawled into their beds and fell asleep. Since Brooke had to be at work by seven, Haley had to get up early just to wake her up. "Brooke. Tigger! Wake up," murmured Haley, nudging the sleeping brunette.

"Grumph," mumbled Brooke, rolling over and placing a pillow over her head.

Haley sighed. "Brooke….Garret Daly is jogging outside without his shirt on," she said tantalizingly.

"I've already seen him without any of his clothes," Brooke mumbled back, her words muffled by the pillow. Haley rolled her eyes, unsurprised. She shuffled to the bathroom and filled a cup with water. Haley pulled the pillow off Brooke's head and pushed her so she was lying on her back. Dipping her finger into the cup, she dangled her finger over Brooke's forehead, watching the water drop roll off the tip and fall onto Brooke's forehead. Six drops later, Brooke's brown eyes snapped open, and growling, she lunged at Haley, the cup toppling over and soaking Haley. "Son of a bitch!"

She pushed Haley off her bed, and stomped to her bathroom, slamming the door closed which received some angry complaints from her parents. Haley yawned and pulled on another shirt, and crawled back to bed. "Gotta love Chinese Water Torture," she mumbled before slipping back to sleep.

Brooke smiled weakly at Bill as she approached him. "Rough night?" he asked sympathetically.

"I left this place at eleven thirty last night and fell asleep once I got home," replied Brooke, stifling a yawn. She adjusted her ponytail and stepped aside as a woman in a red dress sauntered into the hotel. Who wore red dresses at seven in the morning was a mystery to her. "Is Noogie here yet?"

Bill smiled, amused with her newest nickname. "Nope, not yet. He's coming soon, though."

Brooke groaned, kicking a small rock on the ground. "Great. The original owner was nice, but I bet this heir is a stuck-up, horny middle-aged guy who's cheating on his wife."

Bill laughed, his belly bouncing. "Actually, I've known this guy since he was in diapers. I haven't seen him in a while, but he wasn't stuck-up, horny, middle-aged, or married the last time I saw him."

The brunette cheerleader's eyebrows rose, and she crossed her arms. "You've known him since he was diapers? Please don't tell me my boss is a snotty eight-year-old!"

"Actually, no," replied Bill, adjusting his red hat. "He's about your age…I think he just turned eighteen, as a matter of fact." Brooke's jaw dropped.

"You're kidding me!" she uttered, astonished. "Normally, my first question would be is he hot and rich, but now I can't believe my boss is only eighteen!" She groaned. "This is unbelievable. I have to serve spoiled kids who are my age."

"Afraid so," said Bill. "But he's a nice lad. In fact, I think he and Haley go way back."

Brooke blinked. "Haley? She knows this guy?"

"Oh, yeah, back then, those two were inseparable," reminisced Bill. "They always got in trouble, those two. It's hard to believe that it was just yesterday they were bouncing on the beds…" He sighed. "Speaking of which, where is Miss James?"

Brooke waved her hand around. "Sleeping. She has to pick up a package or something, so she'll be coming later." She checked her watch. "Ugh, it's already seven. I gotta go." She smiled as Bill opened the door for her, and thanked him.

The hotel had been truly transformed than its usual form. Brooke rubbed her eyes, and was going to drop her stuff off by the employees' lounge when she ran into Jake. "Hey! You got more sleep than me, you don't have any right to bump into me!" she whined, rubbing her elbow.

"Huh?" Jake blinked.

"Never mind," she told him. "Have you seen Macready? I just can't wait to follow her orders on this beautiful, summer day!"

Jake ran a hand through his brown, curly hair. "Actually, no. Everyone's been hyped up since this guy is supposed to come any minute now."

"Oh my God, did you hear that this guy is our age?" asked Brooke, rolling her eyes.

"No way," Jake said, shocked. "He's already taking the hotel over and he's only eighteen?" He shook his head. "Dude, that is so unfair. I'm eighteen and I have a daughter and a job that pays a little bit over minimum wage and this guy gets a freaking hotel." He sighed. "So not fair."

"Yeah, well," Brooke trailed off. "I gotta drop my stuff off. I'll be right back. And if anyone asks where Haley is, just say that she's at the clinic, getting her genital warts burned off." She walked away, leaving a bewildered Jake behind.

* * *

"Okay, tell me why we're here again?" sighed Rachel Getina, filing her nails. She cast a pointed look at her loosely termed boyfriend, Lucas Scott. He shrugged. 

"Nate needs emotional support," he offered, glancing at his slightly younger brother. Nathan rolled his eyes.

"We're here because apparently I need to be here and you bitches have nothing better to do," he gritted out, his blue eyes narrowing. He threw his keys at the valet, who almost dropped them.

"Dude! I remember this place. You had your sweet thirteen bash here," exclaimed Tim Smith, looking up at the tall hotel.

Rachel sighed again. "I remember that. Some klutz spilt soda all over my red Gucci dress. Stupid bitch."

Peyton Sawyer groaned. "For the love of God, Rachel, get over it! It was just a dress. God."

Rachel glared at the curly blonde. "Honestly, Peyton, why don't you get out of your emo little world and join reality with the rest of us."

"Bite me," snapped Peyton, not enjoying this trip. Tim licked his lips.

"Cat fight! Take her top off!" he cheered, looking at Nathan or Lucas to slap his hand. They didn't.

"Give it a rest," Nathan said tiredly. They had reached the entrance of the hotel, and he pulled Peyton back, watching the rest of the group walk in.

"What do you want, Nathan?" Peyton asked dully. "And if you want to hook up in one of the hotel rooms, the answer is no."

"Aw, c'mon, Peyt," pleaded Nathan. "I just want to be with you again. At least as friends."

Peyton sighed. "No, Nathan, we already went through this," she said patiently. "Yes, we're friends, but nothing more. I'm not your girlfriend or your friend with benefits. Just a friend." She emphasized the last part. "Got it?"

Nathan sighed, and pulled Peyton into a hug. It was too early to fight him off, so Peyton just stood stiffly as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry I hurt you, but you know I'll always love you."

Peyton rolled her eyes, and pushed him away. "You cheated on me, Nate," she reminded him. "I don't think we can ever go back to what we used to have."

"But we were together for five years!" protested Nathan, running a hand through his dark hair. "Come on, Peyt, this is where we had our first kiss and became a couple. Doesn't it bring back memories?" Peyton sighed heavily.

"Come on, Nate, let's go inside," she said, pushing him forward. Recognizing defeat, Nathan strolled to the revolving doors.

"Nathan Scott! Long time, no see!" the doorman grinned. Nathan blinked; this man seemed somewhat familiar. "Don't tell me you already forgot who I was!"

"Bill!" Nathan finally said, happy that he remembered. He slapped hands with the aged man. "Wow, I can't believe you're still here!"

Bill chuckled. "There's still a few years left in this old dinosaur. It's good to see you again."

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, it's been a while." He gestured to Peyton. "This is Peyton Sawyer."

Bill bowed to her, to Peyton's amusement. "Welcome to the Double Tree Hill Hotel, young lady."

"Thank you," Peyton replied, grinning.

"Well, we better go," Nathan said, nodding his head at the hotel. "I supposedly have a meeting I need to attend."

Bill nodded, still grinning. "Well, enjoy your stay here." He opened the glass door for the young couple, and they stepped through the revolving doors. Nathan was hit with a barrage of memories, remembering when he used to weave in and out through the doors. He smiled fondly.

"Nathan!" came Peyton's sharp voice. Shaking out of memory lane, Nathan stepped into the hotel and was met with balloons, confetti, and a wild round of applause. A large group of hotel workers were standing in the lobby, waiting for his arrival.

"Welcome back, Mr. Scott," an elderly, strict-looking woman greeted him. She handed him a small package. "This is on the behalf of the staff."

"Uh…thanks," Nathan said stupidly. He looked at his friends, who were standing among the employees. They grinned at him, and he knew he would never hear the end of it.

The employees dispersed, murmuring among themselves and casting glances at the tall teenager. The old woman remained. "I'm Margaret Macready," she introduced herself. "I'll be making sure that your stay at the hotel is pleasant and enjoyable."

"Okay," Nathan said lamely. He was wondering how he got into this mess in the first place. "That's…great." Macready nodded approvingly.

"I've appointed some employees to serve your every need," she told him. Nathan's eyes lit up in surprise. This was better than he had expected; he hadn't realized they were giving him his own personal slaves…er, servants. "The valet brought in your bags, but we'll get the bellhop to bring them up to your suite." She whistled, shocking Nathan and severely damaging his hearing. "Jagelski! Get over here!"

A guy around his age came skidding to a stop in front of Macready. He was tall and had curly brown hair. Nathan personally thought he was better looking than this guy, but apparently Peyton and Rachel thought otherwise. Nathan's eyes narrowed. "You whistled?" deadpanned the guy. He crossed his arms, and tapped his foot.

"I want you to bring Mr. Scott's and guests' luggage up to their suite," barked Macready. The change was brutally different from how she greeted him, and this knowledge gave Nathan a tiny sense of pride. He smirked.

The bellhop's jaw tightened. "I thought I was working for Sam, not you," he said coolly. Macready glared at him.

"You better not be giving me attitude, boy, especially since I pulled some strings for you," she growled, looking him straight in the eye. "Sam's on vacation, and I offered to take you under my wing since you're always hanging out with my girls, I figured you'd enjoy working with them for the rest of the summer." She raised a brow.

The boy sighed. "All of this luggage?" He gestured to all the bags that were at their feet.

"Think you can handle it?" Nathan asked mockingly. The boy stared daggers at him.

"I think I can, actually," he replied coldly. "Obviously you can't, since you're having someone else carry them for you." Nathan stepped forward and was about to punch this guy flat on his back if it weren't for Peyton putting her hand on his arm.

"Nathan," she urged him, nudging him a little. "Come on." Nathan backed down, still glaring at the rude bellhop. Did he not know who he was?

Macready looked as if she was going to have a cow. "You know, Jagelski, I don't think you can handle it. Where's Davis and James?"

Another girl appeared at the impertinent bellhop's side. Nathan, Tim, and Lucas all exchanged a look, liking what they saw. "Sorry I was late, there was this huge accident on Hope, and I was helping these kittens escape from this van before it blew up. One of them scratched me, so I had to run and put some ointment on it before it got infected," she said breathlessly. The bellhop just shook his head.

"Where's James, then? Cleaning up the oil spill in the Atlantic?" Macready asked sarcastically.

"Actually, she's at the clinic…"

"Donating blood," the boy quickly finished. He shot a look at the hot girl, who just shrugged. He turned to the scary woman. "She really is at the clinic."

Macready gritted her teeth. "Davis, stop yapping and help Jagelski bring up all this luggage. Then after that, when James shows up, you will follow Mr. Scott and his guests around, tending to their every need. Got it?"

"But I don't do luggage!" protested the brunette. She was quieted with a glare. Sighing angrily, she picked the lightest luggage and threw it on the cart.

Macready smiled. "Now that's settled, you can follow these two to your suite." She turned to Nathan. "And you have a meeting at the conference room in an hour. They'll tell you where it is." She nodded at the two surly teens. "Enjoy the rest of your stay at the Double Tree Hill Hotel." The greeting was tinged with politeness and formality, unlike the growl in the bark she had for the employees. She walked away.

The boy threw the rest of the luggage on the cart, and started to push it towards the elevator. The girl groaned and followed him. Nathan, Lucas, Peyton, Tim, and Rachel all looked at each other, and scrambled after her. The bellhop held the elevator for them, an impatient look on his face. Once the doors closed, the girl looked at all of them and sighed. "Okay, let's just get this straight. I don't like you, and I certainly do not like serving you. I think you're all spoiled brats who need an attitude makeover, and I'd really appreciate if you kept our so-called conversations to a minimum. Comprende?" Everyone stared at her.

Rachel chuckled sarcastically. "I didn't think they allowed riff raff like you to work here." She turned to Nathan. "I think you might want to change that, Nate."

Brooke actually stepped forward towards the redhead, and had her fist curled, but the bellhop kicked her in the shin, earning a yelp and a glare.

The boy just shook his head. "Brooke," he said warningly. The pretty brunette just stuck her nose in the air and turned away from them. He sighed. "Sorry about Brooke. She's just tired." Brooke snorted. "I'm Jake, and I guess I'll be serving you this summer." He didn't look too happy about this.

Lucas smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure we can help ourselves." A cry of protest came from Nathan, but Lucas kicked him. "I'm Lucas, and this is Nathan, Tim, Rachel, and Peyton." Each teen raised their hand when their name was called, and the pretty blonde smiled at him.

Jake nodded, and he smiled. He looked at Nathan. "Uh, sorry about what happened in the lobby. I didn't mean it."

Nathan rolled his eyes, but Peyton slapped him. "Ow! It's fine. Don't worry about it," he said dully.

Jake grinned. "Cool." He turned to Brooke. "Where's Hales?"

Brooke shrugged, checking her hair in the gleaming elevator. "Getting her warts removed."

"Brooke!"

Brooke kicked the ground, glancing at everyone's shoes. "Getting a package for Quinn," she replied. She looked up at Peyton, who was drumming her finger on the railing. "Great shoes!"

Peyton looked at Brooke, surprised. "Thanks."

"I love how you're going for the vintage, grunge look," continued Brooke, examining her outfit. "It's so Ashlee Simpson."

Jake groaned. "Ashlee Simpson is not grunge," he said impatiently. Brooke just shrugged.

"So…you guys graduate already?" asked Lucas, trying to break the ice.

"Yeah, a few weeks ago," replied Jake, the doors opening to let in a man in a business suit, busy talking to someone on his cell phone. "Thank God."

"I know what you mean," agreed Nathan, tracing the design on the wall. "Longest four years of my life." He was surprised that he was actually agreeing to what this…bellboy was saying.

"What are you talking about?" frowned Rachel, flipping her hair. "Best years of my life! Cheerleading, parties, boyfriends…" She nudged Lucas, who grinned uncertainly.

"They were alright," mumbled Jake, watching the man get out on his floor. Brooke gave him a sympathetic look.

"What schools are you guys going to?" asked Brooke, the doors opening again. This time, this was their stop.

"Duke," chorused all the Tree Hill inhabitants. Brooke fought the urge to roll her eyes. Figures. They couldn't go more than thirty miles away from their parents' credit cards.

"How about you?" Tim winked at Brooke, who rolled her eyes. Jake pushed the cart out of the elevator, and everyone else followed.

"I'm still undecided," she mumbled, sighing loudly. Lucas glanced at her, unable to take his eyes off the pretty brunette. She had to be the prettiest girl he had ever seen…but his equally hot "non-exclusive" girlfriend was on his right side, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"I'm sure you'll figure out something," Peyton said kindly, smiling at Brooke. Brooke gave a tight-lipped smile in return. "How about you, Jake?"

"Duke, of course," Jake said easily, whisking a card out of his pocket. He slid it in the doorknob and pushed it open when it made a successful click. "Welcome to your suite."

The suite was huge. There was an actual chocolate fountain in the middle of the hall, and chandeliers dangled from the tall ceilings. Candles were spread across the mantle of the fireplace, matching the loveseats and sofas. A kitchen and wet bar were set off to the side, and smaller bedrooms were right next to them. There was a beautiful view of the city from the balcony, sunlight spilling in.

"Whoa," gasped Tim, walking in and examining the forty-inch plasma. "This is huge. It's almost as sweet as the beach house."

Brooke snorted, receiving yet another glare from Jake. "Anyways, _Mr. Scott_, you have a meeting in the conference over by the sixteenth floor," Jake said, slightly annoyed.

"That's downstairs," Brooke added sarcastically. Rachel rolled her eyes.

Nathan heaved a sigh, and shucked his jacket off. "I'll see you guys in a bit." His friends were already settling in, and Brooke and Jake lingered behind uncomfortably. "We'll go out later."

"See ya, man." Lucas patted his brother on the back. "Good luck." Nathan just nodded.

After he left, Peyton turned to Brooke and Jake. "You know, I think we're good. You guys don't have to stick around."

"Are you sure?" Jake asked. "Our boss will get our asses chewed if she finds out we're 'slacking' off."

"We won't tell." Peyton smiled, and Brooke's respect for the rich blonde went up a notch.

"Or you guys can stick around and play NBA Live 07 with us. You play, Jake?" asked Tim, already digging through the luggage.

Jake's eyes lit up, and his shoulders relaxed. "A little," he said offhandedly. He walked around so he that he was kneeling right next to Lucas. A few moments later, the boys were lost in their own world which involved groans, cheers, and just plain weird victory dances.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I'm going to take a nap in my room," she announced, clearly unimpressed with the boys' actions.

"You do that," muttered Peyton, earning a chortle from Brooke. She smiled. Rachel just glared at the girls, and stomped off to one of the adjacent rooms.

Brooke's phone began to ring, and she flipped it open. She sighed. "Idiots."

"What?" asked Peyton, in an attempt to be friendly. Brooke rolled her eyes.

"The Clippers got booted out of the Playoffs," Brooke murmured, sneaking a quick glance at the boys. "I was too tired to catch the game last night, and I just got the results right now. It looked so close, too."

Peyton's eyes lit up, and she leaned in closer. "Oh, my God, it was such a great game! Of course, everyone I was with was cheering for the Suns, but it was intense. I'm so mad they lost."

"You're a Clippers fan?" Brooke said, slightly shocked. Peyton grinned.

"Since '92," she replied. "Of course, I'm also a diehard Lakers fan, but the Clippers have a special place in my heart."

"This is so great," Brooke chirped, her brown eyes sparkling. "Everyone over here hates the Lakers and don't care about the Clippers."

"You're probably the first person I've met who actually likes them," Peyton remarked, shooting a glance at the boys. She rolled her eyes. Brooke laughed.

"You wouldn't happen to be obsessed with _Desperate Housewives_, would you?" Brooke asked conspiratorially, her voice lowering. Peyton's eyes lit up.

* * *

Haley slipped on her vest as she approached the hotel. The package had come later than expected, and she prayed that Macready was in a good mood. "Hey, Bill," she whispered, looking around her. 

Bill chuckled. "Hello, Miss James. Running a little late, are we?" Haley blushed.

"Hopefully, no one will notice," she murmured, slipping into the hotel. Bill just smiled.

Unfortunately, Haley didn't have that type of luck and was yelled at once she entered the lobby. "James!" screeched Macready, grabbing Haley by the arm. She winced. "Where have you been?"

"Um…the clinic?" Haley said feebly. Macready's eyes almost turned red.

"I want you to work at the café," she said, her voice low. "You will not work with Davis or Jagelski at all today. Do you understand?"

"Crystal," muttered Haley, looking at the ground. Macready gave her a small shove towards the café, Haley's least favorite place to work. She bit down a groan.

Mark, one of the waiters, shook his head sympathetically as Haley trudged right next to him. "Man, she really hates you," he commented flippantly.

"You don't say," Haley said dully. "I hate working café." Mark just handed her a pad and pen.

"Well, there's a VIP who needs to be served on. You better get on it," he warned. Haley gritted her teeth and approached the booth.

Nathan himself wasn't having the best day. He had just given his first press conference and he could hardly see due to the numerous flashes of light. There was also a huge amount of responsibility that came with the hotel, and he was not looking forward to managing it. He was resting his head on his arms, so he didn't hear Haley approach him. "Um…are you all right?" she asked, slightly concerned. Nathan lifted up his head to see a pretty girl about his age standing right in front of him.

"No," he mumbled. Usually, he would have tried his best to get into the girl's pants, but he was too stressed to even attempt to be civil.

Haley's eyebrows furrowed, and then her eyes lit up in recognition. _Oh, my God, I think that's Nathan!_ she thought happily. Memories from five years ago flooded back, and she shrunk slightly. _He probably doesn't even remember me_, she thought bitterly. But still, it was nice to see an old friend…and crush again. "Can I get you anything?" she said helpfully.

"A bottle of vodka and someone else to inherit the hotels would be nice," Nathan replied, rubbing his eyes.

"We don't serve alcohol till after twelve, but I think I know what you need," Haley answered, smiling a little. She went to the kitchen, and returned with a brownie sundae, topped with Skittles. Nathan's eyes widened with surprise.

"Whoa, I haven't had this since…well, forever!" He dug in hungrily while Haley stood by awkwardly. He noticed, and motioned for her to sit down. "You don't have to stand. Sit."

"Um, I'm fine," Haley said, suddenly feeling shy. Nathan just looked at her.

"Come on," he insisted. "Please?" He fixed his beautiful blue eyes on her, and Haley all but melted.

"Fine," she sighed, as if this was a huge chore. "I'll sit with you and listen to you mope about your many, life-altering problems."

Nathan grinned, and swallowed a spoonful of the sundae. "Hey, don't mock. I do have many life-altering problems, and I need someone to dump it on."

"Gee, thanks," Haley said, rolling her eyes. She was surprised at how easy it was to make conversation with this steamy human being. However, her heart still raced at very high speeds. "I feel so special."

"You should," Nathan replied, finishing the sundae. He sighed contentedly. "Man, this was so good. Thanks."

"No problem," Haley said, trying to be nonchalant.

"How did you know that brownie sundaes and Skittles is my favorite dessert?" Nathan asked, intrigued. "No one knows that, except for my mom." He looked a little sad at that.

Haley shrugged. "I'm a mind reader." Nathan smiled a little.

"I'm Nathan," he said, extending his hand. Haley was surprised at how big his hand was compared to hers.

"Haley," she said, waiting for the recognition to register. It never came. _I'll just tell him later,_ Haley thought to herself. "So, what are the many problems that you have? Your favorite basketball team is out of the playoffs? Your grandmother just posted embarrassing pictures of you on the net? What?"

Nathan rolled his eyes. He really liked this girl. She didn't swoon over him like all the other bimbos he usually hung out with. "Uh, no. I wish. My father just had a heart attack…"

"Oh, my God, I'm so sorry!" squeaked Haley, her hand flying up to her mouth in horror. Nathan shrugged, as if this didn't bother him.

"It's okay. The worst part is that he was supposed to inherit the hotels and now that he's in the hospital, it's being passed to me," Nathan said glumly. "I'm not even eighteen yet! I'm too young to handle a whole hotel chain." He sighed.

Haley had never seen such a depressed boy before…even Jake looked slightly happier than this guy. And being the prince of the Double Tree Hill Hotels didn't seem that horrible. But she could understand why he was stressing out. "Well…can't you ask your grandfather to keep the hotels till your dad gets better? I mean, if you don't want to do it, then you should tell him."

"It's not that simple," Nathan said tiredly, running a hand through his short hair. "This is like a rite of passage for me. So many people depend on me not to screw up, and I can't let them down." He swirled his spoon around the melting ice cream.

Haley found herself reaching for his hand. She was surprised at this bold move, but Nathan seemed to like it. "Listen, your family wouldn't make you take over the chain if they thought you couldn't handle it. I'm sure you're going to do just fine."

Nathan smiled, and Haley found herself drowning in his blue eyes. "You're really good at this, you know? Thanks, Haley."

Haley wanted to take her hand away from his, but she couldn't find the strength to do so. They just sat there, smiling at each other. However, that moment was ruined by…

"Yo, Nate Dogg! Who's your new friend?" Tim said tauntingly. Behind him were Lucas, Rachel, Peyton, Jake, and Brooke. Nathan dropped Haley's hand as if it had just burned him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nathan said defensively. Haley gawked at him. "We were just talking. Get off my back, okay?"

Rachel snorted. "So you weren't just slumming a few moments ago? How do you think Peyton feels?" Brooke gasped, and was about to rip every red strand from her head before Jake grabbed her waist.

"James! What did I just tell you?" demanded Macready, who magically appeared out of nowhere. Haley got out of the booth, bumping into Lucas, who gave her a curious look. "No hanging out with Davis or Jagelski! I want you in the kitchen right now and I don't want to see you till your shift is over!"

Biting back a groan, Haley pushed her way into the kitchen, trying to stop the angry tears from falling from her eyes. This was definitely not her day.

Macready looked back at Brooke and Jake. "If I see you two mingling with her today, I'll be sure to fire you before you can blink twice," she warned. She walked away, looking for someone else to terrorize.

"Ugh! I hate that woman!" Brooke groaned, slipping into the booth. Everyone else followed her lead, and Nathan found himself squashed between a wall and Rachel. "I mean, it's bad enough that Haley has to deal with so much shit outside of work, but that bitch is trying to make her life miserable."

"I wish we could get her fired," Jake said wistfully. "I think in some places that would be considered abuse."

"Hey, Nate, maybe you can do something!" Tim piped in helpfully. However, he wasn't very high on Nathan's list of favorite people at the moment. He was right below Rachel.

"Yeah, well, she's just doing her job," mumbled Nathan, playing with his napkin. Brooke glared at him.

"You have no backbone. Bastard," she said under her breath. Jake kicked her. "Ouch!"

"So what did you guys do while I was gone?" Nathan asked, ready for a subject change. He was tired of talking about his authority around the hotel.

"Oh, we played NBA Live while Peyton and Brooke did their nails," Lucas said, smiling at the brunette. She returned his smile. "Rachel just slept."

"This hotel is so dull," complained Rachel. "There's nothing to do here."

"You could go and shave your back," Brooke murmured in Jake's ear. Peyton and Lucas heard, and they chortled. Rachel just shot Brooke an evil glare.

"Dude, did you know that Jake beat your record? The man's smokin'!" Tim said, bumping fists with Jake. Jake grinned.

"You weren't too bad yourself," he replied.

"So what are we going to do now?" asked Tim. "Go swimming?"

"That sounds good," Lucas agreed. He turned to Brooke and Jake. "You guys in?"

They both exchanged a look. "Um…we better not. I still have some rooms to clean," Brooke said lamely.

"Yeah, we'll just catch up with you later," Jake added, looking over his shoulder.

"Okay…well, we'll just see you guys later, then," replied Peyton, slightly disappointed. Rachel, on the other hand, seemed thrilled that she wouldn't have to spend her day with those two. Nathan seemed rather distracted, Tim didn't care either way, and Lucas just stared curiously at the both of them.

"Bye," Jake said feebly, and he took off in one direction. Brooke just sighed, smiled at Peyton, and walked away in the opposite direction.

* * *

"Tutor Girl!" 

Haley looked up tiredly to see Brooke bouncing towards her. "How can you be so happy right now?" grumbled Haley, getting her stuff out of her locker.

"I didn't do much today," Brooke said brightly. "All I had to do was…" She stopped, and offered Haley a guilty smile. "Never mind. You ready to go?"

Haley was annoyed at her friends at that moment, even though she knew she had no right to be. But she had to spend the whole day in the sweaty kitchen, and she smelled like baked veal. On top of that, the boy she loved…or had loved was a jackass, and she had never been more disappointed. Needless to say, she wasn't in the best mood. "I had to drive my car this morning, so I'll just see you at home, okay?"

Brooke could sense the mood her friend was in, so she just let it go. "Sure. I'll see you at home, then."

"See ya." Haley slammed her locker shut and brushed past Brooke. Brooke just stared after her best friend, wondering why she was acting that way.

**Oh, I can't take another heartache,  
Though you say you're my friend  
I'm at my wits end.  
You say your love is bonafide  
But that don't coincide  
With the things that you're doing  
When I ask you to be nice  
You say you gotta be  
Cruel to be kind, in the right measure.  
Cruel to be kind, it's a very good sign.  
Cruel to be kind, means that I love you  
Baby, you gotta be cruel to be kind.**

**Cruel to be Kind by Letters to Cleo**

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, so it wasn't the best chapter ever...and I didn't send this to my beta because she just had her birthday this week, so I don't want to bother her this weekend. But anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this and don't forget to review! 


	3. Complicated

**Title: **Double Tree Hill Hotel

**Author: **Sweet Sarcasm

**Rating: **PG-13 for language and adult situations

**Author's Note: **I really am a horrible person. This chapter is way overdue and I don't think it met my expectations. So from now on, just don't pay attention to whatever promises or deals I make. Apparently, I can't live up to them. :(

But some good news is that I'm slowly overcoming my writer's block and Christmas break just started for me, so hopefully I'll be able to crank out another chapter before it ends. Whichever comes first. For all of you **Bachelor **readers, I'm starting to pick up interest again and hopefully my beta and I will be able to define the plot better. If that made any sense. And it's been forever since I've updated that story, so hopefully I'll be able to keep my promise on that story and update this month. Hopefully. Once again, pay no attention to me.

Before we go on to the story, I just want to thank my lovely beta, **Marie P.** I love you, girl:) And for some shameless promoting, if you want to read a semi-fluffy-AU-Christmas-Naley-one-shot, then just go onto my page and read **Sitting on Santa's Lap. **:)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any lyrics, quotes, movie references (I hope someone can pick it up!), torture ideas, characters, places, or canon plotlines that you see here. **

* * *

**

Just because everything is different doesn't mean that everything has changed.

**-Irene Peter**

* * *

The next day, Brooke and Haley met up with Jake in the lobby. He already had their coffees ready for them. "Hey," he greeted them, handing them their drinks. He noticed that Haley didn't greet him with her usual smile. "What's wrong?" 

Haley just made an inaudible sound and pushed past to get to the employee lounge. Jake turned to Brooke. "What's up with her?"

Brooke shrugged, taking a sip of her chocolate cappuccino. "I have no idea. She's been in such a bad mood lately. She went straight to bed last night without saying anything to me, and today she hardly acknowledged me." Jake mouthed the word 'acknowledged' incredulously, and received a light slap. "Shut up. I'll have you know that I did pretty well on my verbal last year."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Sure you did." Brooke made a face at him and together, they walked to the lounge. "You don't think she's pissed off because of yesterday, do you?"

Brooke rolled her eyes as they walked down the narrow hallway. "Of course she's mad because of yesterday, dumbass. Didn't you know that she and this Nathan guy go way back?"

Jake blinked as he pushed the door open for himself and Brooke. Realization finally settled in moments later. "Oh! You mean…"

He was cut off by Brooke's warning glare and her frantic gesture to the lounge. Luckily, Haley had already signed in and left her stuff in her locker, but Brooke didn't want to take any chances. "Exactly," she replied in a low voice.

"When you say they go 'way back', do you mean they…?" Jake grimaced.

"Ew, no!" Brooke shuddered. "At least I don't think so. They were like, childhood friends or something like that."

"Do you think she likes him?"

Brooke made a face. "Tutor Girl and Cocky Jackass? Uh, no. They are so not compatible. Hales deserves way better." She spun the combination lock to crack it open and threw her purse and jacket inside. "I mean, did you see how he treated her yesterday? I don't even know why she was sitting with him. And his friends didn't make it any better. God, I'd love to rip out Raggedy Ann's hair out and shove it in her mouth."

Jake rolled his eyes. "But she seemed to be enjoying his company before we came. He's probably one of those people who acts one way with one person and then does a 180 with other people."

Brooke snorted, disbelief flickering in her brown eyes. "Oh, yes, Dr. Phil, the boy who has everything he wants is actually an insecure person who seeks attention but through the wrong ways." She shook her head. "That's exactly the type of person that he is." Jake just sighed, knowing that he couldn't change her opinion of the young hotel heir. "Now let's go before Macready goes looking for us, hatchet in hand. I just can't wait for what she has in store for us today." She clapped her hands sarcastically.

They found Haley folding clothes over by the gift shop. "Hey, Hales!" Brooke said cheerfully, bouncing over to stand in front of the table that she was using. "Are you still ignoring us?"

"Yup," Haley said, not looking up from her work.

"Aw, come on, Hales. What did we do to you?" Brooke said defensively. Jake gave a swift kick to her shin, but she was hardly bothered. "You can't ignore us forever, especially when we don't know what we're guilty of."

Haley sighed, finishing the last stack of T-shirts. "I'm sorry. It's just that I've been having a really bad day."

Happy that she was finally talking to them, Jake decided to enter the conversation. "I know what you mean. Jenny would not stop crying last night, and I ended up rocking her half the night. I finally went to bed around two o'clock." Haley and Brooke made sympathetic noises that were soon ruined by the arrival of Mrs. Macready.

"What are you three doing here?" she barked, making them jump a little. "I thought I made it clear yesterday what your duties are for the rest of the summer."

"I wasn't there to hear it," Haley interjected, placing the last shirt on the top of the pile. Macready glowered at her.

"Well, if you weren't late yesterday, then you would know," she snapped, giving her an evil glare. "Go ask Davis and Jagelski. And then at ten, I want to see all of you and Mr. Scott's friends in the lobby. Got it?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Brooke muttered, her eyes fixed to the carpet.

"Yes," Jake said quickly, not too fond of getting in trouble early in the morning.

"Good. You can start with breakfast," Macready ordered. "It's waiting in the kitchen." With that, she left the trio to terrorize the other employees.

"So, exactly what are our duties for the rest of the summer?" asked Haley, dreading the answer. She nodded at the cashier as they walked out of the gift shop.

"We're supposed to cater to the heir's and his guests' every need," spat out Brooke, scuffing the toe of her shoe. "It's bad enough that we have to see him every day, but we have to act as his personal slaves. God must really hate us."

Haley's heart skipped a few beats. "Wh-what?" She prayed that she had heard wrong.

"We have to cater to Nathan's every need," repeated Jake, running a hand through his curly hair. He noticed that Haley had turned slightly pale. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," squeaked Haley. She couldn't believe it. It was bad enough that she had to see him again, but to be with him 24-7. She would have sooner chosen to be Macready's long lost daughter with Michael Jackson as her father rather than serve Nathan or watch him make out with every pretty girl that fell for him.

She was so not jealous.

Brooke heaved a sigh as they walked into the kitchen. Five gleaming trays were waiting for them on the front table. "Please tell me we don't have to make two trips just to deliver them their breakfast in bed."

"Oh, no, we have to bring each meal one by one," Jake said sarcastically, getting a pitcher of orange juice from the huge refrigerator. "We'll use the carts, smart one." Brooke stuck her tongue out at him.

"Shut up. It's early," whined Brooke, placing each dish on the metal cart. "And I really don't enjoy serving these spoiled brats, no matter how nice some of them actually are."

"Yeah, I saw you and that Peyton girl 'bonding' yesterday," Jake said casually, adding napkins to their pile. Haley almost dropped the plates. "I'm surprised, actually. Who knew that someone actually shared your love for the Clippers?" He rolled his eyes.

"Okay, first of all, the Clippers are so going to kick ass next season, and Dallas is going to kill Phoenix," warned Brooke, waving a fork around. "I'm so confident that I'll even put down thirty dollars on the game."

"Make that forty and two babysitting jobs for Jenny and you got yourself a deal," grinned Jake, leaning over to shake her hand. Haley sighed.

"For God's sakes, it's only a stupid game!" she exclaimed, taking the fork away from Brooke. Jake and Brooke just gawked at her. "What? It is!"

"Tutor Girl, I don't know how you maintained a friendship with Jake and I all these years," Brooke sighed, patting Haley's auburn hair. Haley swatted her hand away.

"It's Jake and me," she grumbled, fixing her hair.

Jake checked his watch. "We should be going, their highnesses will be wondering where we are." Haley sighed while Brooke groaned. "Try not to kill them with your enthusiasm."

"Oh, I won't," Brooke replied, pushing the cart through the swinging doors. "That's why we have knives hidden underneath the napkins." Haley guffawed. "Oh, that's so feminine of you, Tutor Girl."

"Ha ha, love you, too, Tig," Haley said dryly, pushing the cart from the side. She pushed the up button for the golden elevator. "I can't believe we're worthy enough to use the elevator now."

Jake laughed sarcastically. "Either that, or we sunk so low that we can't use the stairs anymore." They reached the twenty-fourth floor with no interruptions, and started walking towards the treasured suites. Jake knocked on one of the doors. "Room service!"

"Finally!" a loud voice exclaimed from the other side. The door was thrown open to reveal Rachel, the redhead, clad only in a silky Victoria Secret's robe. "What took you so long?" she complained.

Brooke gave her a tight smile as she pushed past the bitchy girl. "We were doing an experiment on whether or not a person can really die without the hired help."

Rachel gave her a look. "Oh, look, the monkey can talk! That is so clever, but right now I just want to eat. So if you'll be so kind to give me my food, I would really appreciate it."

"Honey, I think you can afford to skip a few meals," Brooke told her, giving her the once over. "You'll never be able to fit into that size eight dress without shedding a few pounds." Rachel gasped, and her hunger disappeared as she prepared to pounce on the head cheerleader.

"Rachel, give it a rest," Peyton called from the living room. "Just shut up and eat your food." Rachel whirled on the curly-head girl and was about to tell her off it weren't for the rest of the group rushing past her to get to Brooke.

"Oh, you guys are my saviors," praised Tim, passing the plates to his friends. "This smells so good!"

"You guys hungry?" asked Lucas, pouring himself a glass of orange juice. He glanced up and was surprised to see Haley standing a few feet away from him. She just looked away.

"Actually…" Jake began, but was cut off by Brooke. "Ow! No, apparently we're good." He glared at Brooke, who just shot him a look.

"No, seriously, you guys should take some," Peyton told them. "This is so much, I don't think we'll be able to finish it."

"And this will probably be your last chance to eat something this expensive for free, so I'd take advantage of the opportunity while I had the chance," Nathan said, not even looking up, so he missed the looks of surprise and anger from everyone's faces besides Tim and Rachel's. "But if you guys touch the sausages, I'll kick your asses."

"Nathan!" Peyton said sharply. "Stop being such an ass!" Nathan just shrugged and brought his plate back to the living room where ESPN Classics was on. She turned to the other three. "Don't mind Nathan. He's not a morning person."

Jake couldn't take it anymore, so he reached for a plate. He was so hungry that he could forget about Nathan's snide little remark. Brooke slapped his hand. "Hey, don't try to stop me! I just had yogurt for breakfast."

Brooke sighed loudly and she too reached for a plate. "You hungry, Hales?" Haley shook her head, clearly upset from Nathan's little declaration.

"I'm fine," she said stiffly. Peyton smiled at her.

"Are you sure? These waffles are to die for," she said, motioning to the platter of blueberry waffles. "I'm Peyton, by the way."

Haley shook her head again. "No, I'm good." Peyton was a little taken aback by the girl's hostility, but she really couldn't blame her.

Haley bit her lip as she realized how mean she was being to the girl, even though she really hadn't done anything to her except be nice…well, actually, there was always that little nagging memory of her kissing her longtime crush about five years ago. Otherwise, she had no ground to be cold against the pretty blonde, even though her boyfriend was being an ass to Haley and her friends. "I'm Haley."

Lucas' head snapped up, now certain that he knew who this girl was. He glanced at Nathan, who was intently watching the game of '76. He wondered why his little brother didn't react to this introduction…

"Oh, by the way, our boss wants to see everyone except Nathan at ten in the lobby," Jake announced, his mouth still full of pancakes. The girls gave him a dirty look, and he swallowed.

"It better not be about my birthday," Nathan said, his eyes still glued to the screen. Tim snorted.

"Please, your mom probably ordered it…from rehab," he chortled. Nathan glared at him, and the other boy cringed. "Sorry."

Haley looked curiously at the dark-haired boy, even though she was still angry with him. It must be tough to have one of your parents in the hospital, and the other in rehab. She felt a tiny surge of sympathy for him. Tiny being the key word.

"You guys should sit down," Lucas said to them, gesturing to the sofas. "You don't have to stand." He gave Haley a curious look as she sat in-between Brooke and Jake. She looked away.

"Oh, this was a good game," remarked Jake, staring at the screen. "The Celtics kicked ass!"

The girls simultaneously sighed, knowing where this conversation would lead. "That's because Olajuwon screwed it up for Houston," countered Tim, stabbing his hash browns.

"No, Celtics would still have won. They were too good," disagreed Lucas.

"It wasn't the Rockets' game, that's all," Nathan put in, running a hand through his hair. Haley, who had been watching the small exchange, gulped.

"So, Haley, what type of music do you listen to?" Peyton said loudly, turning to the other girl. She rolled her eyes at the boys, making Haley smile.

"Oh, just about anything," Haley said softly, playing with the pillow. "Sheryl Crow is my idol, though." Peyton smiled politely.

"Yeah, she and Jake have this 'band' thing going on," chimed in Brooke, nibbling on a small piece of fruit. "Haley has such a beautiful voice; I'm so jealous."

Rachel looked up from Lucas' lap. "You're in a band?" she asked, directing her question to Jake. She smiled, clearly impressed. "What instrument?"

Lucas frowned, not really liking how his girlfriend was acting. But he was used to it; she always did this. Why he dated her, he wasn't quite sure. But he put up with her because she wouldn't let any other girl date him. It was wrong, but he really didn't mind because no other girl had really caught his eye.

"Guitar," Jake replied, turning a little red. All the girls thought that this made him very adorable. "But Hales can sing and play the guitar and piano. She's multi-talented."

Haley blushed. "Stop," she mumbled. "I'm not that great."

Brooke snorted. "Please. You're the next Kelly Clarkson."

"Oh, you have to sing for us sometime," Peyton told her, patting Haley on her knee. "I'd love to hear you."

"That would be great," agreed Lucas, grinning at her. Haley's suspicions that her identity was now revealed was proved to be correct. She groaned inwardly.

Nathan noticed that his older brother was getting friendly with this Haley girl, and he couldn't help but feel jealous. That surprised him; it wasn't as if he liked her or anything. She was, after all, only a servant. "Peyton, you want to go out for dinner tonight? They have a Johnny Rockets across the street."

Peyton sighed, and just shrugged. "Sure, why not?" Haley looked away and continued to fiddle with the pillow.

They continued to watch the game in silence, and Brooke rested her head on Jake's shoulder. After the first half finished, Jake checked his watch. "It's 9:45. We have to be in the lobby at ten."

Brooke stood up and stretched her arms. "Yeah, we should go."

Everyone else got up except for Nathan. "Have fun," he said dully.

Brooke turned to Haley. "Hales, you take the cart." Haley heaved a sigh.

"Fine," she said, exaggerating a little bit. Brooke grinned.

"You know I love you, Tutor Girl," she chirped, and looped her arm with Jake's. Peyton lagged behind.

"Do you need any help?" she offered.

"Oh, no, I got it," Haley replied. "Thanks, though."

"No problem." They walked together behind the rest of the group. "So, are you and Jake together?" Peyton suddenly asked her. Haley just stared at her before bursting in laughter.

"Oh, my God, me and Jake? No!" laughed Haley. "I mean, we did date back during our sophomore year, but it wasn't anything…you know, serious. We're just friends."

"Oh," said Peyton, frowning.

"Why do you ask?" asked Haley, still smiling at Peyton's assumption.

"Oh, no, I was just curious," Peyton said, turning a little pink. Haley raised an eyebrow.

"So, you and Nathan, huh?" she said nonchalantly. They turned a corner to find their friends waiting for the elevator.

Peyton shook her head viciously. "Oh, no. We're just…friends."

"Really?" Haley didn't look convinced.

"Well, we just broke up; there was nothing between us," shrugged Peyton. "I wasn't in love with him." Haley nodded.

"You guys are so slow," Tim told them, rolling his eyes once they finally caught up with the group.

"Whatever, Dim. The elevator's not even here yet," Peyton replied, sticking her tongue out at him.

A ding signified that the elevator had just reached their floor, and the teens let an elderly couple exit before entering. "So, you guys know each other long?" asked Lucas, his eyes resting on Haley. She turned away.

"Me and Hales," began Brooke, but she was cut off by Haley.

"It's Haley and I," she corrected, sighing. Brooke just rolled her eyes.

"Hales and I," she started again, "have been friends since Kindergarten."

"And you'd think that you would be able to tell the difference between 'Haley and I' and 'Me and Haley" by now," Haley muttered.

"You know that's too much for Brooke to comprehend," Jake chastised, grinning. Brooke just stuck her tongue out at him.

"How long have you known Brooke and Haley?" asked Peyton.

"Um…let's see, Haley and me fell in love during our sophomore year," teased Jake. Haley snorted.

"Like I could ever date a guy whose grammar is just as good as a monkey's," she grumbled. Everyone laughed.

"And then we broke up because her best friend had the hots for me." He winked. Brooke just groaned.

"Can we please forget that chapter of our lives?" she pleaded. "Looking back, it's like I was dating my brother."

"And here I am, thinking that incest wasn't a problem for you," muttered Rachel. Brooke whirled on her.

"I'm sorry, but can you speak up a little bit? All I can hear from you is 'blah blah blah, I'm a fugly fat bitch, blah blah blah," mimicked Brooke. Rachel's eyes narrowed.

"Okay, I'm tired of you and your shit. Why don't we just settle this once and for all?" challenged Rachel, her hands curling up into fists.

"Bring it on, bitch," replied Brooke, rolling up her sleeves.

"Take her top off!" cheered Tim. Everyone gave him a dirty look.

"Put some ice on it, Rachel," Peyton said dully. "Stop acting like you're the shit."

"Yeah, you may look like shit, but you're not 'the' shit," Brooke couldn't help but add.

Rachel turned to her boyfriend. "Lucas."

"What?" Lucas asked warily, afraid what she was going to ask of him.

"You're not going to let them treat me like this, are you?" complained Rachel.

Lucas' eyes darted back and forth, and he really didn't want to say anything. "I, um…"

"Oh, look, we're here!" Haley interrupted lamely. A bell signified their arrival. Lucas let out a long sigh.

"Where are we supposed to meet?" Haley asked Jake, not wanting to finish the quarrel.

"The lobby," he replied, nodding towards their sour boss, who was waiting for them over by one of the couches.

"For once, you three are actually on time," sniffed Macready when the teens approached her. "I'm shocked."

"So why don't you just keel over and die?" muttered Brooke. Peyton laughed, but was silenced by Macready's death stare.

"Anyway, I'm here to discuss Mr. Scott's birthday party," she continued. Lucas, Peyton, Tim, and Rachel all groaned.

"What's it going to be this year? A black and white party?" sighed Peyton.

"No, it's going to be Egyptian dancers this year," Tim said, his eyes lighting up.

"That was last year," Rachel pointed out. "I think that it'll be basketball themed. Again."

"As long as there are no clowns," begged Lucas. "Those things scare me."

"Actually, Mrs. Scott requested that young Mr. Scott's friends plan his party for him, seeing as she is indisposed at the moment," Macready said primly. "Her husband has given us a budget, and it is up to you to plan his son's eighteenth birthday bash next weekend. There will be many important executives present at this party, so please refrain from using anything distasteful. Here is a list of ideas that Mrs. Scott has come up with and you may use them if you wish. Oh, one more thing. This is a surprise party, so try not to reveal the party to Mr. Scott. Are we in agreement?"

"It seems that we have no choice," Brooke said coolly, taking the list from Macready.

"Don't screw this up, Davis," warned Macready. "This is very important, and I know many people. Do you catch my drift?"

"Crystal," replied Brooke, her chin thrust up to meet her superior's eyes.

"Good. Well, good luck and I hope to attend a grand event." Macready bustled out of the lobby.

"Do you know what would be fun to watch? Torturing Macready with the Chinese Water Torture till she cracks," Brooke said dreamily. Haley burst out laughing.

"What ideas does Deb have?" asked Peyton, peering over Brooke's shoulder.

"Basketball, Casino Night, Jungle, Arabian Nights, Moulin Rouge, Grease Lightning, High Society," Brooke read off. "Is it just me, or does some of this sound exactly like My Super Sweet Sixteen?"

"Uh, yeah. It's Deb's favorite show. After Pimp My Ride, of course," Tim said dreamily. "Man, Deb is hot."

"Okay, ew. That's your best friend's mom and my…half mother?" guessed Lucas. Haley, Brooke, and Jake just stared at him. He shrugged. "Yeah, my family's messed up."

"You're not the only one," Jake muttered.

Rachel groaned. "Okay, this is going to be the last party I plan for Nathan. I am tired of seeing all this money being thrown all over the place. And I'm rich, so this is really saying something."

Peyton sighed, and sunk down on one of the couches. Reluctantly, everyone followed suite. Haley wheeled the cart behind the couch. "You know what, let's just stick with the basketball idea. I mean, Nate loves basketball and it would be easy to do. No clowns, no strippers (Tim groaned and everyone ignored him), and everyone's happy. It'll be steps up from his twelfth birthday party. I think my dad knows some people who know some basketball players, and we'll invite them, too. And then we'll just put up pictures and play videos from all of Nathan's games."

Rachel considered this. "Sawyer, I think you've got something going here. We'll autograph a basketball and his jersey, have a 'halftime show' with the cheerleaders…it's perfect!" She turned to her boyfriend. "What do you think?"

Lucas nodded, a smile beginning to grow. "I think Nate would love it. And it's the perfect good-bye high school, hello college party."

Brooke leaned forward, rubbing her hands. "You know, this might be the party of the year. Or at least the summer. You really can't beat Patrick Hopper's end of school party, but whatever. So, what's Nathan's favorite team?"

"Well, it's definitely not the Lakers," snickered Tim. Lucas and Jake joined him while Brooke and Peyton threw them disgusted looks.

"Well, we were the Tree Hill Ravens," suggested Lucas after he calmed down. "Our colors were blue, black, and white. We can use that as our theme."

"Oh, so you're the Tree Hill Ravens," Jake said suddenly. "You guys killed us during the tournament." Lucas and Tim tried to hide their smug smiles.

"Yeah, well…we have a great coach," Lucas said lamely.

"And we're just naturally talented," Tim added. Everyone rolled his or her eyes.

"Yeah, and at least we had some pretty hot cheerleaders, right, Jake?" Brooke nudged her friend. He laughed, and swung an arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah, babe. And at least we beat Bear Creek at the Winter Classic," he tossed back.

"You guys beat Claire Young and her bitches?" asked Peyton, clearly impressed. "God, I hate that girl."

"She thinks she's all Bring it On," grumbled Rachel. Lucas gave his girlfriend a hug.

"Rach is upset because we couldn't go to the Classic for our last year," he told everyone. Rachel slapped him on the shoulder.

"No thanks to you guys," she muttered, casting Tim a dark glare. "It would have been my year."

"Last I checked, the shiny trophy was sitting in my room," Brooke told her smugly. Rachel looked like she wanted to slap Brooke. Which she probably would have done if it weren't for the fact that she would be sorely outnumbered.

"Okay, anyway, so it's a basketball theme," Haley interrupted, tired of procrastinating. "Any other remarkable details that we need to be aware about?"

"Dress code is formal, food has to be ridiculously skimpy and overpriced, decorations must be elegant, music is limited to a live band, and I can't think of any other forms of entertainment," recited Peyton.

"It'll just be another boring party," agreed Tim. He sunk lower on the couch, but immediately straightened up when something caught his eye. "Yo, Nate! Over here!"

Nathan approached the group, slightly relieved that they hadn't left him alone in the dull hotel. Lucas, Rachel, and Tim were all clumped on one couch while Peyton, Jake, Brooke, and…Haley, he actually remembered her name, were on the other couch. The only available seat was next to Haley, and still feeling slightly guilty because of yesterday, he sat down next to her. "Are you guys finished planning my party?" he asked dully.

"I guess it's pointless to deny any mention of your birthday party, then," Jake said ruefully. Nathan shrugged, his shoulder brushing Haley's. He felt her stiffen, and couldn't help but feel unwanted.

"You can tell me what the theme is this year," he replied, running a hand through his dark hair. "That's the only thing I don't know."

"Basketball," Lucas replied simply. "Try to act surprised next Saturday."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "I'll try."

"It's going to be the best party ever," proclaimed Rachel. "You're gonna love it, Nate." Nathan just nodded.

An awkward silence followed. Everyone cleared their throats or tapped their foot.

"So, what's next?" asked Tim, eagerly. Nathan shrugged.

"We can go and hit on some of the maids," he said half-heartedly, grinning at Tim and Lucas. Haley could feel herself grow warm with anger, and she urged Peyton and Brooke to scoot over so she wouldn't have to touch Nathan. He frowned at her.

"Does touching me really repulse you?" he whispered to her so only she could hear. Haley turned and looked up at him, and found herself staring up at two beautiful blue eyes. They were such a striking blue that it made her forget what she was going to say. All she knew was that she could stare into his eyes all day long…

Nathan instantly regretted speaking to her because the moment she focused her big brown eyes towards him, he knew he was drowning and no one would be able to help him. It was strange, because the girls he usually dated (or hooked up with) had beautiful, colorful eyes. But not once had he noticed gold specks in their eyes. There was something about the petite blonde that gave him a sense of nostalgia, but he couldn't figure out why.

Then she blinked, and he shook out of his trance. What was this girl, a witch?

"No," she whispered back stiffly. It took him a moment to realize that she was answering his original question, not his thoughts. She turned away, and he found himself transfixed with her. She certainly wasn't supermodel material, but she was definitely pretty. _Wait, did I just call her pretty? _Something was definitely off. Nathan Scott never called a girl pretty. Hot, yes. Sexy, even. But never pretty or beautiful or any of those sentimental crap his brother used on girls.

"You know you want me," he taunted back softly, resisting the urge to hold her close to him. What the hell was going on?

"In your dreams," she scoffed, turning back to him to give him an evil glare.

Lucas watched the exchange between his brother and his old friend. He had to bite his cheek in order to prevent laughter from escaping. He had always thought that Nathan and Haley had a thing for each other, even when they were younger and thought that the opposite sex had cooties. And being the helpless romantic that he was, he thought it was…nice that they still had feelings for each other. Even if they were too blind to see it.

"So, Haley, what college are you going to?" he asked aloud, trying to get everyone to talk to each other. Peyton and Brooke had been chatting about some stupid TV show, Rachel was texting one of her friends, and Tim had been spacing out. Again. And of course, Haley and Nathan were trying to ignore each other. Trying being the key word.

Sighing, Haley shot a warning look at her friends before responding. "I don't know. Probably Central Piedmont or something." Lucas, Nathan, Rachel, Tim, and Peyton all exchanged a look. Central Piedmont was a community college, a place where people at Tree Hill usually didn't end up.

Seeing this, Brooke quickly added, "It's a shame, too. Hales scored 1480 on the SATS. She got the highest score in our class."

Jake nodded. "It was the perfect score. People thought she stole the answers to the test or something." He laughed.

Tim gawked at her. "That's like, twice my score. I think." He screwed his eyes shut, trying to remember how to divide the numbers.

"Dude, you must be a genius or something," Peyton told Haley. "That's amazing." The curly blonde grinned, making Haley smile a little.

"Yup, that's our Tutor Girl," chirped Brooke, patting Haley's leg. Haley gave her a look.

Jake yawned. "Well, while this isn't fascinating, I have some business to attend to." Brooke and Haley looked up, confused, but after exchanging wordless messages, they just nodded.

"We'll see you at lunch, then?" Haley asked in her soft voice. For some odd reason, Nathan could feel his hairs on his arm stand, and he blinked.

Jake nodded, and got up. "I'll see you guys in a bit." He nodded at Nathan and his friends and left.

Lucas turned back to Haley. "So, let me guess, you probably had a 4.0 GPA, right?"

Haley turned red, which Nathan thought was utterly sexy. "Um…sure."

"Nah, wasn't it a 4.2?" Brooke said innocently. She was like a mother showing off her daughter.

Nathan's mouth dropped. The girl was seriously a genius. He had never met someone who could intimidate him so much…and he barely knew this girl. And he was Nathan Scott, for God's sakes. Nathan Scott was not someone who was easily intimidated. But then why was this girl making him feel like he was at least two inches tall?

"So I'm guessing that you didn't have much of a life, then," Nathan said breezily, trying to ignore the punch to his gut when he saw Haley's eyes filled with pain and humiliation. "Don't worry, you'll get your revenge in a few years." He smirked at her.

That did it. "You know, I just remembered that Daisy wanted me to help her with something. Um, I'll just see you guys later," mumbled Haley, pushing herself off the couch. She quickly walked out of the lobby, barely catching Peyton demanding Nathan what the hell his problem was.

Instead of heading to the employees lounge, Haley made a detour to the pool. She was relieved to find it empty. This was her safe haven, the place where no one would bother her. The smell of warm chlorine soothed her nerves, and right now, she just needed to think…about what a jackass her friend had become.

Obviously, the pool wasn't working its wonders today.

Haley chose her favorite chaise and lowered herself upon it, closing her eyes. She was alone for a few minutes before hearing the doors swing open. She bit her lip, hoping it wasn't Brooke. She didn't want to deal with Brooke's ranting at the moment. Not yet.

"You know, a few years ago I met this funny girl who loved books but didn't know how to swim," a voice said from behind her. Haley smiled, knowing what was coming next. "We went elevator racing the entire day, and almost got caught twice. I wonder what happened to her."

"Hey, Lucas," Haley said softly, tilting her head up to see him towering over her. "Sorry I've been ignoring you lately."

Lucas grinned, and sat down next to her. "Well, Haley James, I have to say, you grew up pretty nicely." Haley playfully punched him on the arm. "You're not so scrawny anymore."

"Shut up," Haley laughed. "You don't look too bad yourself, Lucas Scott." She leaned over to give him a hug.

"Sorry Nathan's treating you like crap right now," Lucas told her, frowning slightly. "I'd be lying if I said he was never like this, but usually he treats pretty girls like you like princesses."

Haley rolled her eyes. "I'm no princess. Just a maid." She sighed. Lucas nudged her slightly.

"Hey, don't say that," he said. "You're just as good as any girl that Nathan has ever liked." Haley's eyebrows furrowed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, frowning slightly. Lucas shrugged.

"It's pretty obvious that you still have feelings for him," he replied nonchalantly. Haley blushed, and he grinned.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Haley mumbled, looking straight across the pool.

"I'm sure," Lucas said dryly, rolling his eyes. "But do you know what the weird thing is? I don't think he even remembers who you are." He said this lightly, but Haley knew that he was somehow hinting at something.

"What's your point?" said Haley, fiddling with her plastic bracelet.

Lucas just stared at her. "Come on, Haley, you've known him since you guys were what, five? He used to talk about you for hours and annoy the hell out of me and our friends. I just think it's strange that he forgot who you are and that you won't remind him."

Haley sighed. "Come on, Lucas, that was years ago. It was a long time ago, and I really don't think it matters that he doesn't know who I am."

Lucas finally shrugged, giving up. "Whatever. I think you should tell him, though. For old time's sakes."

"It won't matter," Haley said, resigned. "It won't make a difference."

Lucas was quiet for a few moments. "You know, Nathan's been going through a tough time lately. His mom's in rehab again, and his dad…well, he's my dad, too, but we try not to acknowledge it…well, he just had a heart attack."

"So?" mumbled Haley. "Shit happens. You get over it." She frowned, surprised to hear the cruel words come out of her own mouth.

Lucas pretended not to hear. "The thing is, ever since we were old enough to hold a basketball, Dan, that's our dad, has ridden our asses about basketball. When we were nine, he would wake us up at six and take us jogging for two miles. It grew longer as we grew older. But it was especially hard for Nathan since he lived with Dan full time and I only stayed over on the weekends. We've never had a real relationship with Dan. It's always been about basketball. Nathan is always feeling pressured because he has to get into college ball and eventually turn pro. It got so bad during high school that Nathan almost got himself emancipated. Our grandparents intervened, but Nathan hasn't really been the same. He's done some hardcore partying and ended up in the hospital and jail tons of times. He acts like a jackass most of the time. And now that he's the heir to the hotel chain, he has to deal with that and school."

"Why are you telling me this, Lucas?" Haley asked wearily, not wanting to feel sorry for him. He didn't deserve her pity.

Lucas shrugged. "I don't know. I just don't want you to think that Nathan's a bad guy, because he really isn't. He's actually one of the nicest people you'll ever meet once he lets his guard down. You should have to give him a chance."

"There's no point in continuing our friendship," Haley sighed. "I mean, I haven't seen him in years! We were young. People change. And besides, it's only for this summer. After that, we'll all go our separate ways."

Lucas just stared at her, his blue eyes penetrating through her plain brown ones. Haley gulped, and looked down. "You know, the best times Nathan ever had were in this hotel," he told her. "He hasn't been here since his thirteenth birthday." Haley's head snapped up, and she just looked at him.

* * *

**Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated? **

**I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else **

**Gets me frustrated **

**Life's like this you **

**You fall and you crawl and you break and you take what you get **

**And you turning into **

**Honestly, you promised me **

**I'm never gonna find you fake it. **

**-Complicated, Avril Lavigne**

* * *

**Author's Note: **I hope you all enjoyed this and happy holidays:) 


	4. Denying

**Title:** Double Tree Hill Hotel

**Author: **Sweet Sarcasm

**Rating: **PG-13 for language and teen situations

**Author's Note: **Chapter 4 is finally up! You have no idea how happy I am. Seriously. And I can only imagine how happy the rest of you are…that is, if there's still anyone reading this. –wince- Originally, I was supposed to finish this in two weeks, but I needed a break from studying and this is where I ended up.

And I almost didn't upload this today. I saved this on my USB disc and for thirty minutes, I was searching my room and I finally found it, thank God. Okay, now I'll shut up and let you read the chapter. Oh, and this is un-betaed, so I apologize for all the mistakes that I made.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own One Tree Hill, its characters, songs, or quotes.

* * *

**We need not think alike to love alike.**

**-Francis David

* * *

**

"You like him!" gasped Brooke. Haley shot her a look. "Oh my God, you do!"

"No, I don't," sighed Haley, overturning a pillow. She and Brooke were cleaning up the suite while Jake entertained the guests.

Brooke ignored this. "But he's a jackass! You deserve way better than that. But then again, he might surprise us and turn out to be the sweetest guy ever." She sighed. "Why is it always the hot jackasses that turn out to be sweethearts?"

Haley blinked. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Who does?" chirped Brooke, finishing one of the beds. "But isn't he still with Blondie?"

"No, they're 'just friends'," Haley air quoted. Brooke raised a brow.

"Yeah, friends with benefits," she snorted. Haley threw a pillow at her head. "Hey!"

"Come on, quit it," frowned Haley. "I don't like him. End of story."

"Suppose he likes you," Brooke said slyly. "Would the story have a different ending?"

Haley rolled her eyes, walking over to pick up the pillow she had thrown at Brooke. "Uh, no. I mean, come fall, we all go our separate ways. Whether we like it or not." She gave Brooke a look that meant she wasn't just talking about their guests. "Besides, he doesn't like me. He just sees me as someone to pick up after him. I'm beneath him." Brooke opened her mouth to comment, but Haley beat her to it. "Don't you dare even twist my words around, Brooke Penelope Davis! What I mean is that he has no feelings for me at all."

"Please, you two have so much UST, it's making me jealous," Brooke sighed.

"UST? Do I even want to know?" ventured Haley.

"Unresolved sexual tension," Brooke replied matter-of-factly. Haley groaned.

* * *

Later that day, the girls joined the rest of the group to plan Nathan's party while Nathan attended a plethora of meetings. After deciding on balloons (blue, white, and black, much to Brooke's horror), food (filet mignon, lasagna, and for some odd reason, beluga), dress-wear (Brooke pushed for formalwear, but was sorely outnumbered. Instead, the group decided to go with Rachel's idea of basketball uniforms for the guys and cheerleading outfits for the girls), and finally music (Jake, Haley, Peyton, and Lucas all wanted indie rock; they were overthrown by Tim, Rachel, and Brooke's insistence of hip-hop and rap). Rachel even came up with an idea that even Brooke had to agree was a good idea; since almost all the girls (with Haley as an exception) had been cheerleaders, they would create routines to perform at "halftime". Even though they had accomplished a great deal of work, they still had a number of things to do, but decided to call it a day. Nathan found them lounging in his suite before lunch, all of them exhausted. "Rough day?" he asked dryly. 

"You have no idea," muttered Peyton, her eyes closed.

"How did your meetings go?" asked Lucas, restlessly paging through copy of Sports Illustrated.

Nathan rolled his eyes as he walked over to the mini refrigerator to grab a cold Coke. "Boring, dull, stupid, take your pick," he replied sarcastically.

"I can safely say that we can use the same words to describe planning your stupid party," countered Lucas. "At least I don't have to wear a tux." He mock-glared at Brooke, who rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, if you all want to go to the party in your pajamas, be my guest," she replied, still peeved that she had been overthrown.

Haley laughed. She was sprawled on the floor, braiding Jake's hair, much to his chagrin. "Lighten up, Tig, I can't believe you're passing up a chance to show off your stomach."

"God, I'm not a slag," protested Brooke, affronted. "Dresses are so much classier."

"Whatever," put in Peyton, leaning against the couch, "as long as I don't have to put on any make-up or do my hair, I'm fine with that."

"Agreed," murmured Haley. Rachel was napping, so she had no say.

Brooke leapt up, pointing a finger at Peyton and Haley. "Oh, no, you don't! Just because I lost the dress argument doesn't mean that I'm also giving up on hair and make-up! That is the one thing that will remain constant! I don't care if we can't use prom or homecoming hairstyles to the party, there will be usage of straighteners, curlers, crimpers, hair dryers, hair spray, bobby pins, and ornamental hair clips! As for make-up, we are not going for pretty and sexy, but we're going bright and bold, just like we used to at cheerleading! And I will personally make sure that none of you gets away without your hair teased and your make-up done like a dancer at Moulin Rouge!" She panted, trying to catch her breath. Everyone stared at her.

"Now there's a dedicated cheerleader," Tim was heard whispering to Lucas.

"Thank God I'm not a girl," Lucas whispered back, and silent murmurs of agreement came from all the guys. Rachel just snored.

Haley cleared her throat, exchanging a look with Peyton that clearly said, 'She's definitely not joking.' "Er, suppose you went to the party as a reserve cheerleader…you know, one of those girls that the captain takes pity on but doesn't want to waste all her resources on her because she knows that said girl is not going to be in the skit thing anyway? Can that girl just go normally?"

Brooke glared at her best friend. "First off, Hales, it's called 'routine'. Secondly, you are definitely not excused. In fact, I'm doing your hair and make-up exactly the same way I did it for Halloween." Haley and Jake's eyes widened.

"Oh, hell, no! There is no way Haley is going to that party looking like a whore again!" Jake protested. Nathan, Lucas, Tim, and Peyton's eyebrows went up at the word 'whore.' Haley glared at her friends.

"Haley was not a whore for Halloween! She was a man pretending to be a showgirl," corrected Brooke.

"You mean a transvestite?" Lucas offered helpfully.

"Something like that," Brooke said offhandedly, flipping her hair. "My point is Haley is going to dress up as a Charlotte High Cougar cheerleader whether she likes it or not." She nodded, and everyone knew that her decision was final.

"Well, this is going to be an interesting birthday party," Nathan remarked as he plopped down next to Peyton.

* * *

"What do you guys think, blue number one or blue number two?" asked Peyton, holding up two seemingly similar balloons. After grabbing lunch at the café, Haley, Brooke, and Peyton were assigned to decorations while everyone else dealt with music and setting up the hotel. 

"They look exactly the same," deadpanned Haley, looking up from the rolls of crepe paper.

"Apparently not," sighed Peyton. "I don't think anyone will even notice."

"How can you guys not see the difference? Blue number one is shinier while blue number two is a shade darker," Brooke told them, giving them a strange look. "I say go with blue number two."

Peyton sighed again, and put a checkmark on the pad of paper. "I'm not even going to ask how you could see that."

"I've got a keen eye, P. Sawyer, and when it comes to color, I can give you a thorough description of each shade," Brooke said proudly.

"P. Sawyer?" repeated Peyton, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't ask," Haley said tiredly. "I have no idea where she comes up with these names. She's going to be one of those mothers who names her children Watermelon and Parsley."

"Actually, I like the names Pear and Plum better," called Brooke from behind the pile of costume jewelry. Haley rolled her eyes.

"It means that she likes you," finished Haley. Peyton's face lit up.

"Aw, I like you, too, Nazi Cheerleader," Peyton said cheerfully.

"Funny, that's what my squad used to call me when they thought I wasn't listening," Brooke said chirpily as she walked over to the curly blonde to give her a hug. "Come on, Tutor Girl, join the love-fest."

Laughing, Haley walked over to the tall girls and joined their 'love-fest.' After breaking apart, Peyton help up two more balloons. "Okay, white number one or white number two?"

"Nice try, P. Sawyer, but those two are the same color."

"Damn."

After picking out all the decorations, the girls decided to go to downtown Charlotte for lunch. "Okay, Luke Wilson or Owen Wilson?" Peyton said after they stopped laughing. Haley was still giggling a little.

"Owen Wilson," Brooke said automatically. "He's way funnier than his brother, and I've always had a thing for blondes."

"Uh, Luke Wilson is way hotter," interjected Haley. "He has a great smile, and he's dark, tall, and handsome. Just the way I like them." She sighed, and Peyton playfully shoved her.

"Tall, dark, and handsome, huh?" Brooke smirked. "Okay, Hales, this one is just for you; Lucas Scott or Nathan Scott?"

Peyton burst out in laughter, and Haley glared at Brooke, looking sideways at the curly blonde. "Neither," she muttered.

"Bull shit!" Brooke countered, a smug smile still on her face. "Come on, Hales, it's not that hard."

"Yeah, Haley, we're all friends here. Whatever happens here, stays here," goaded Peyton, trying to keep a straight face.

"I personally like Nathan," put in Brooke. "He's tall and has gorgeous blue eyes. Don't you agree?"

Peyton made a face. "Not anymore. I like Lucas. If only he weren't like my brother or with that skank Rachel…"

Brooke scrunched up her nose. "You know, he looks like one of those tortured, freaking smart guys. So why is he with her?"

Peyton shrugged. "I'm not sure. But I think it's because she's 'hot.'" She rolled her eyes.

Brooke snorted. "Please. Anyone can see that she's had so many 'modifications.'" She took a swig of her drink.

"Actually, when we were younger, she was always on the heavy side," commented Peyton, playing with her fries. "By the time we reached middle school, she had miraculously lost all her 'baby fat.' She said it was because of this camp she went to ("Yeah, fat camp," snorted Brooke.) over the summer. I personally think she went to California and went under the knife."

"I would pay big money to have a picture of her before the surgery and just spread it around," Brooke said dreamily.

"You are such a bitch," Haley said dryly, making a paper crane out of her napkin. She tossed it aside, where a growing pile of origami was beginning to accumulate.

"She's the bigger bitch," responded Brooke and Peyton in unison. They laughed.

Haley checked her watch. "We should get back to the hotel before his highness sets out the hounds to find us," she grumbled.

"You really don't like Nathan, do you?" Peyton asked her as they got out of their booth. "I mean, I know that he can be a jackass sometimes, but he can be a really cool guy once you get to know him."

"Oh, she's just playing," Brooke informed the blonde. "She's secretly crushing on him. They're childhood sweethearts, you know."

"Are not!" interjected Haley, giving a kick swift to the brunette's shin. Brooke gracefully dodged the attack.

"Oh, really?" Peyton said, amused. "So all those times that I was dating Nathan, I was actually the other woman? Damn, now I feel so dirty."

"You guys are oh-so hilarious," muttered Haley. "Just hilarious."

"But seriously, Haley, he is a sweet guy. I think you guys would make an adorable couple," Peyton said sincerely.

"Oh, come on, I don't answer one question and you guys start to assume that I love him and start planning the wedding! I mean, yeah, maybe I had a small crush on him when we were younger, but that was like, a million years ago. My brain was still developing. And now, I don't even know him that well. Besides, he thinks he's too good for me and by the end of the summer, we'll probably be at separate ends of the country," Haley finished, her face slightly red.

"Okay, he does not think that he's too good for you. I mean, yeah, he's a bit arrogant, but you're not below him in any way. In fact, you're too good for him," Peyton told Haley. "I think any guy would be lucky to be your boyfriend, so never say that you're not good enough for anyone."

"We're only joking around, Hales. Nathan is just a guy, which means he's too blind to see what a hot girl you are. You deserve a man," Brooke said dramatically.

"Yeah, and I think the manager back at the party place was checking you out."

"Okay, guys, I know you're trying to make me feel better, but really, let's just stop right here," begged Haley, covering her ears. Peyton and Brooke just winked at her.

When they reached the hotel, their friends were nowhere to be found. They weren't in the suite, café, pool, or lobby. "Where the hell are they?" Brooke wondered aloud. The three girls were standing in the middle of the lobby, looking around.

One of Haley's café friends scurried by them, and Haley grabbed her arm. "Oh, hey, Haley. What's up?" the petite redhead asked.

"Would you happen to know where Jake and our special VIP guests are?" asked Haley, her face turning to a grimace when she mentioned the latter.

"I think they're playing basketball over by Gadsford Park," replied the redhead, her eyebrows scrunched in concentration. "The gym is closed for refurbishment, so they decided to go to the park."

"Thanks, Callie," Haley said gratefully.

"No problem."

"Figures that they would bail out and go play basketball," Peyton said disgustedly. "Boys."

Brooke sighed. "Let's go find them."

* * *

It didn't take them long to reach the park or to find the boys. They had an intense game going on, and a huge group of people had gathered to watch. It was Tim and Nathan vs. Lucas and Jake, and it appeared to be the former that was winning. Rachel was lounging on one of the tables, paying no attention to all the action. 

The girls found a nice patch of grass under a huge willow tree, where they cheered for their favorite team. "Go, Jake!" cheered Haley and Brooke. Jake turned towards the direction of the calls, and grinned when he saw them. Nathan saw this, and smirked at Haley, giving her the nod. Brooke and Peyton squealed.

"Oh my God, he gave you the 'nod'!" Brooke said excitedly, giving Haley a nudge. Haley groaned.

"He was doing that just to annoy me," she grumbled, shredding some blades of grass. "Jackass."

"Please, someone is in denial," sang Peyton. She triumphantly placed a crown of flowers that she had made on Haley's head. Haley swiped it off her head. "Hey! I spent minutes on that!"

"You guys seriously need to find a new hobby," Haley told them, rolling her brown eyes. She waved at Lucas, who had just made a lay-up.

Brooke just sighed dramatically. "Alas, our lives are too dull compared to yours, Tutor Girl. We need to live it out in you." Peyton nodded in agreement. Haley looked at her.

"You don't think it's weird that Brooke keeps talking about me and Nathan?" Haley asked carefully. "I mean, there's nothing between us, but I've never met a girl so eager to set her ex-boyfriend up with one of her new friends."

Peyton shrugged. "Whatever. I mean, I was obsessed with Nathan back in middle school and beginning of freshman year, but after that, it was just like, 'Oh, he's the guy who takes me out and gives me amazing'…er, never mind. He was just there. I just see him as a friend now. And I really do think you guys would be a cute couple."

"So that's why you guys broke up? Because you got tired of each other?" asked Brooke.

"That was part of the reason," replied Peyton, playing with her flower crown. "That and because he cheated on me." Her eyes widened as the words slipped out of her mouth. "Shit." She looked over at Haley, who had turned pale. "Um…you weren't supposed to hear that."

"He cheated on you?" Haley said in a weird voice, looking over at where the boys were playing. "Okay, if he cheated on someone like _you_, what makes you think he wouldn't do the same with someone like me?"

Peyton grabbed Haley's hands, forcing Haley to look up at her. "In his defense, we were at the point of our 'relationship' that it was a matter of time that one of us was going to cheat on each other. We were just waiting for the other to make the first move. Besides, the girl he slept with was the biggest, most conniving slut in town, and Nate is just a guy."

"That still doesn't make it right!" cried Haley, pulling away from the blond. "I don't want to be with someone like that."

Peyton and Brooke exchanged resigned looks, and the subject of Nathan was dropped.

After the game had ended, Lucas and Jake walked over to where Haley, Brooke, and Peyton were sitting. Nathan and Tim had won the game, and they were being bombarded by excited fans. "Hey, good job!" Brooke said, jumping up to give Jake a hug. "Ew, you're all sweaty."

Jake laughed, wiping some of the sweat off his face. "That was a tough game. But Lucas over here totally saved our asses from humiliation."

Lucas made a face. "Oh, come on, give yourself some credit. You have a great fade-away."

"This is so sweet. So sports really does bring people together," laughed Haley, pushing herself up to give Jake and Lucas a hug.

"What's this? If the losers get hugs, I hope that means that the winners of the game get something special," Nathan said cockily, coming up from behind Jake. He winked at Haley, who turned away in disgust. He frowned.

"You're right," Haley said loudly, glaring at him. She strode over to Tim, who was trying to hit on Brooke, and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Tim, you were great out there."

"Baby, you haven't seen anything yet," he told her, a lopsided smile on his face. Nathan scowled as Haley giggled. Peyton and Brooke were trying not to smile.

"What about me?" asked Nathan, his arms wide open. He raised his eyebrows.

Haley's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I thought you said that only winners get a special prize and all I see over here is a loser." She smiled a little bit as everyone oohed and whooped. Nathan's own eyes narrowed as he walked closer to the short auburn-haired girl.

"So I don't even get a hug?" he asked mockingly. Haley shook her head slowly. "So what do I get, then?"

Haley shrugged, an innocent smile played on her lips. "Would a handshake do? Or are you more of a high five type of person?"

Nathan's smirk grew. "Actually, today I feel like getting a handshake." Haley offered her own hand to him, which he grabbed. He pulled her close to his body, much to everyone's surprise. Haley almost gulped as she stared up into his dark blue eyes and she could feel the heat radiating off of his body. She almost lost it as he laced his fingers between her and rubbed her soft palm with his thumb. But then she looked up and saw his arrogant grin, so she pulled away. "Thanks for the handshake."

"No problem," Haley said quietly, rubbing her palm against her jeans. She spun around so that she was facing her friends, who were all looking at her knowingly. "Can we go now?"

"Whatever you want, Princess," Brooke told her lightly, kicking a giggling Peyton. Jake, Lucas, and Tim all look confused. Typical boys.

Grabbing her stuff from the grass, Haley swept by Nathan, her head held high. He just smiled and shook his head.

* * *

"What was that about?" demanded Jake as they entered the locker room. Haley groaned for the umpteenth time. 

"God, nothing!" she exclaimed, furiously spinning the combination on her lock. Brooke chuckled.

"Oh, please," she scoffed. "You should have seen your face. You're falling hard. Both of you."

"Am not!" protested Haley. She pulled out her backpack and tossed a small purse to Brooke, who caught it with one hand.

"Please tell me you don't have a crush on this guy!" pleaded Jake. "I mean, I don't have anything against Nathan, but I mean…this is you!"

Haley whirled around. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked harshly. Jake gulped, and Brooke shook her head a little, already seeing how much trouble her male friend was in.

Jake sighed, and walked over to Haley and took her hand. "All I'm saying is that he can be a jackass, and you're sweet. You deserve someone who's going to treat you right."

Haley let out a frustrated sigh. "God, for the last time, I don't like him! At all! So why does everyone keep assuming that I'm going to get together with him or that I like him? I won't and I don't!"

Brooke laughed, finding Haley's situation very amusing. "Haley, the only reason why people keep bringing it up is because it's so obvious. I mean, even Jake's concerned, and usually he has no idea what's going on around him."

"Hey!" Jake yelped, insulted. Brooke just gave him a beatific smile.

"Now, are we still on for tonight?" asked Brooke, pulling out a compact from her purse.

"Uh, I don't think I can," Jake said sheepishly. "I just got a text from Jenny's babysitter. She has to cancel, and I don't think I can find anyone last minute."

The girls' face fell. "Aw, that sucks," Haley murmured. Usually, she would have offered to stay behind and baby-sit, but for some reason, she felt like going out tonight. Apparently, Brooke felt the same way because she just looked at her shoes and kept quiet. Jake noticed this and smiled.

"You guys don't have to cancel your plans just because I can't go," he told them. "I mean, it's not going to be as fun, but you should still go. The night is still young!"

"Well, when you put it that way…" Brooke trailed off.

"I guess we'll have to honor your wishes by having a kick-ass night," Haley quipped. Jake punched her on the arm playfully.

"Besides, this will give you a chance to escape from your favorite babysitting charges," he added.

"I don't know, but Peyton has definitely grown on me," Brooke said thoughtfully. "I love that girl!"

"And Lucas is sweet," put in Haley.

"He just has some serious judgment problems," agreed Brooke. "Everyone else I can live without."

Jake nudged his friends. "Have fun, you guys. Don't do anything stupid."

* * *

"Dude, I'm bored," complained Tim. He was throwing a rubber wall against the wall, and had already received two complaints from their neighbors. 

"We know, Tim," deadpanned Nathan. He was flipping through the channels and couldn't find anything remotely entertaining. Rachel was doing her nails, Peyton was sketching one of her creepy drawings, and Lucas was reading a book. Another boring night at the hotel.

"Can't we go out or something?" Tim asked, bouncing the ball.

"And where do you propose we go?" Lucas asked him, not looking up from his book. "The bowling alley?"

"Yeah, we don't know this city all that well," agreed Peyton. "And knowing you, we would probably get mugged."

"Or end up at a gay strip club," added Nathan. That night still gave him nightmares.

"Then what can we do?" Tim whined. "I mean, there's nothing on TV, Rachel's done her nails at least twelve times since we got here, Lucas has read that book twice, and Peyton has enough pictures to start her own novel."

"You do realize that novels have words, not pictures, right?" Lucas told him. Tim ignored him.

"All I'm saying is that summer just started and we're officially out of high school. We'll be going to college in a few months! We need to start living it up," Tim told them seriously, which was rather uncharacteristic of him.

All of his friends exchanged a look and they knew that he was right. "Fine," surrendered Rachel. "I want to go dancing. Someone look up where the clubs are."

An idea struck Nathan. "Hey, I'll bet that Jake and Brooke know where some good clubs are," he said thoughtfully. "Haley probably won't, but the other two look like they know how to have a good time."

"Oh, come on, Nate. They've been stuck with us for almost a week. Don't you think that they deserve a break?" Lucas tried to convince his brother.

Nathan just brushed him off. "Whatever. Let's go find them!"

Everyone sprang from their positions and headed to their rooms. Lucas just sat in the living room, all alone. He sighed and got up.

* * *

_Knock, knock._

"Hey, Jake!" a voice called from behind the door. Jake's eyes widened, and he looked down at the sleeping baby.

He couldn't let them see her. "Uh…hold on a second!" he called frantically, scrambling around the room to see if he could hide Jenny somewhere. He could see her starting to stir from her nap and panicked. He gave up, picked her up, and opened the door a crack. "What's up, guys?" he said nonchalantly. From the open sliver, he could see that all the teens were dressed up and ready to go.

"We were wondering if you, Brooke, and Haley wanted to hang out with us tonight," Peyton grinned. Jake raised a brow.

"Really? Hang out with you guys?" he said skeptically.

"Hey, what's wrong with that?" Tim protested.

"There has to be a catch," murmured Jake. He looked down at Jenny, who was stretching her little arms and falling back to sleep. He gave a sigh of relief. "Either you're gonna pay us to hang out with you guys or you have absolutely no idea where all the hot clubs are and you just want us to show you where they are."

Everyone grinned sheepishly. "You caught us," said Lucas, trying to peer through the ajar door. Jake closed it slightly. "So, are you in?"

Jake shook his head. "Sorry. I have plans tonight. But Brooke and Haley are going out tonight, so maybe they'd be willing to take you."

Peyton looked slightly disappointed that Jake wasn't able to go, but perked up at the idea of hanging out with Brooke and Haley. It was nice to hang out with other girls besides Rachel. "Okay, awesome. Where are they?"

Jake bit his tongue. Haley was going to kill him once she heard that Nathan was going to hang out with her tonight. "Um…I think they're over by the Morongo conference room."

"Sweet!" exclaimed Tim, and after thanking Jake, they left. Jake groaned. He was such a dead man.

It was at that moment that Jenny decided to wake up, and he thought that maybe he still had some luck after all.

* * *

"No way," Haley said in a quiet voice. It wasn't Tutor Girl-quiet, but deadly murderer-quiet. "There is no way in hell that I'm going to step out of the room wearing this." 

"But Haley!" protested Brooke, tugging on the short skirt. "You look hot!"

Haley snorted. "To hell I do! Brooke, have you lost your mind? I look like a freaking hooker!"

"But a freaking hot hooker," corrected Brooke. Haley swatted her on the arm. "Ouch! Okay, c'mon, Hales, live a little. It's going to be dark anyways."

"Brooke, I can feel my underwear riding up."

"You know, if you take off your underwear, you wouldn't have that problem…ouch! Okay, jeez, I was just kidding. You are such a prude." Brooke danced away to avoid Haley's fury.

"Where did you get this, anyway? The Whore Strip?" muttered Haley, pulling down on the top.

Brooke looked offended. "For your information, I made this last night."

Haley blinked. "You made this?" she said skeptically. "Actually, now that I think of it, this doesn't seem too hard to make. I mean, it's like cutting off twelve inches off a fourteen-inch pillow cover."

Brooke narrowed her eyes. "Oh, shut up, Tutor Girl. You're wearing this whether you like it or not."

"No way in hell."

"Uh, yeah."

"No."

"Yes."

"NO!"

"Yes!" A knock on the door interrupted their scream-fest. Both girls glanced at the door. "I'll get it," muttered Brooke, striding over to the door. As she was walking, Haley quickly stripped out of the "clothes" and put on her own clothes. Brooke opened the door a crack. "Oh, hi," she said uncomfortably. "What's up?"

"Jake told us that you guys are going out tonight and we were wondering if we could tag along," Peyton said quickly. If anyone else in her group even talked to Brooke, there was no way that Brooke and Haley would take them out.

Brooke gritted her teeth when she heard that Jake had ratted them out. But looking at Peyton's pleading face and how hot Lucas looked…she sighed. Behind her, Haley was hissing, "No! Don't do it!"

"Sure, I guess so," Brooke said reluctantly, wincing when she heard Haley groan from behind her.

On the other side of the door, everyone broke out in grins, even Rachel. "Sweet!" yelled Tim, starting to dance a little. Brooke winced again.

"Please tell me that's how he usually dances," she said, already regretting her choice.

"Don't worry, you don't have to hang out with us," Lucas told her. "We just don't know where any of the clubs are."

Brooke visibly relaxed. "Okay." She turned around. "Hey, are you ready?"

Glaring daggers at the brunette, Haley stiffly walked over to where everyone was standing. "Yeah."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Why did you change?" she demanded. "You looked fine a few minutes ago."

Haley shrugged innocently, her eyes still glittering with fury. "I liked this better."

Nathan agreed. He didn't know what she was wearing before, but he definitely liked what he saw. Instead of the calf-long plaited dress she usually wore, the petite auburn was wearing tight jeans and an emerald tank top. Her hair was piled on top of her head, and unlike Rachel and a lot of girls he knew, her make-up was kept to a minimum.

He gave a little jump when Lucas nudged him. "What?" he whispered angrily.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Dude. You're drooling," he whispered back.

Nathan felt his cheeks flush when he realized what he had been doing. Luckily, Haley was chatting with Peyton while Brooke went back to get their stuff. He turned to Lucas, who was shaking his head, an amused smile playing on his lips. "Shut up, man."

"I wasn't gonna say anything," Lucas grinned. He walked over to Haley, who instantly gave him a hug. Nathan's blue eyes narrowed.

"Are we going or not?" he said loudly, checking his watch. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Haley frowning. At least she wasn't hugging his brother anymore.

"God, I'm coming!" snapped Brooke, storming out of the conference room. "Someone is touchy tonight." She shot Nathan a glare, who just rolled his eyes.

"Let's just go," he muttered, brushing past the girls.

"What's his problem?" he heard Peyton ask the rest of the group.

"He just realized that he can't always have his way," replied Lucas. When no one else was looking, Nathan flipped his blonde brother the bird. Lucas just smiled.

* * *

By the time they reached the club, a lot of people were already dancing. Tim immediately made a beeline to a group of clearly underage girls. Rachel slithered her way onto the dance floor, and the rest of the group stood by the bar, surveying the scene. "Do you guys want anything to drink?" Lucas yelled over the din. 

"Beer!" everyone except Haley yelled back.

"I'll just have water," she said timidly, edging away from the drunk group of guys who were trying to hit on her. She bumped into Nathan, who was smirking down at her. "What?" she asked angrily.

"Nothing," he said nonchalantly. Haley glared at him and fought the urge to stomp his foot. She started to move towards Brooke and Peyton, who were talking to some cute boys when he spoke again. "It's just so…cute that you play it so safe."

Haley whirled around. "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded. Nathan just shrugged.

"You're officially an adult and yet you're still afraid that Mommy and Daddy are gonna catch you drinking," he replied, his arrogance covering up a completely different tone.

It stung a little when he mentioned her parents, but Haley just shook it off. "Just because I don't drink doesn't mean I'm a total prude, okay?" she said, infuriated. "So stop making these assumptions about me and just stay the hell away from me!" She stormed away, leaving a slightly guilty Nathan behind.

"What was that about?" asked Rachel, suddenly appearing on Nathan's side.

Nathan shrugged again, trying to ignore that gnawing feeling at the bottom of his stomach.

"God, what is his problem?" exclaimed Haley, plopping on a seat next to her friends. The boys that Brooke and Peyton had been talking to exchanged a look and walked away, sending looks to the girls.

Brooke sighed, clearly a little annoyed. "What now?"

"Him!" groaned Haley, gesturing to Nathan, who was talking to a girl with blonde streaks in her hair.

Peyton raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were finished talking about him."

"God, he pisses me off so much!" growled Haley. "I mean, just because I don't drink doesn't mean I'm a goody-good."

"But you are a goody-good," Brooke pointed out idly, examining her nails. Haley gritted her teeth.

"I am not! I could be bad!" she tried to say convincingly. Brooke and Peyton exchange a look and burst out in laughter.

"Look, Haley, I know that I haven't known you for that long, but I think I can safely say that you're definitely a straight arrow," Peyton tried to say with a sincere face. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with that. I wish I was more like you."

Haley slumped down on her seat. "Oh, God, I am a goody-good," she whispered. Brooke patted her on the back.

"It's okay, Hales, we still love you," she told her. She handed her a water bottle. "Thirsty?"

Suddenly, Haley sat up and motioned for the bartender to come over. "Hi, can I have the strongest drink that you have?"

The bartender stared oddly at her before nodding. "Better make it a Kamikaze for you." He started to mix the drink together.

"Are you sure, Haley?" Peyton asked uncertainly. "I mean, you don't have to do this."

Haley nodded empathetically. "No, I want to do this. Beside, it's just one drink. How bad can it be?"

* * *

Three drinks later, Nathan and Lucas found the girls laughing hysterically on the side of the dance floor. Haley seemed to have a tough time standing up straight, let alone dancing. "Hey, is she okay?" Lucas asked worriedly. 

Brooke laughed, throwing an arm around Lucas. "Of course she is!" she said in a high-pitched voice. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against him. "Wanna dance?" she said sultrily.

Lucas turned red. "Uh, well…" he gulped. His eyes were trying not to focus on Brooke's cleavage, and instead they landed on Rachel. Rachel, his girlfriend, dancing with another guy. Rachel making out with the guy. And still making out with him.

His jaw set, he turned back to Brooke, who was still using his body to support her weight. He held her up so that she could stand better. "Rachel's a whore," Peyton said out of the blue. "I think you should go out with my new friend, Brookie." Nathan guffawed.

Brooke nodded solemnly. "I might be drunk, but you really are hot," she slurred. Haley giggled.

"Aw! You guys are so cute!" she squealed. "You guys can be…Brucas!"

"Brucas?" repeated Nathan, amused.

"Yeah! You know…Brooke and Lucas put together!" Haley said in her drunken Tutor-Girl voice.

Brooke suddenly stumbled into Lucas, who grabbed her shoulders to steady her. "Oh, God, I don't feel good," she moaned, her hands covering her mouth.

Lucas sighed. "I better take her somewhere," he told Nathan. "I think we should go now."

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, I'll get the car and find Rachel and Tim."

"I'll go with you, Lucas!" Peyton piped up. "I want to be with Brookie."

"Okay, fine," Lucas said, sighing again. "You're not that drunk." The curly blonde nodded.

"Hey, where's Haley?" Nathan asked suddenly. The auburn teen was nowhere to be found.

Lucas groaned, and ran a hand through his sweaty blonde hair. Brooke whimpered a little bit. "God, I better take her now. Look, after I take care of Brooke, I'll go find her, okay? Just get everyone else and the car."

Nathan nodded, and made his way through the club. A couple of times, some girls pinched his butt, and that disgusted him. Sure, he was as bad as some guys were, but some of these girls had no respect for themselves.

By the time he had made it outside, he had already talked to both Tim and Rachel. Both had opted for staying a little longer and would find their own ride back to the hotel. Rachel had just smirked at Nathan as she snaked her arm around some random guy's waist. He hoped that meant that she and Lucas were finally over. Rachel was his friend, but his brother deserved way better.

When he got to the car, some girl was leaning on the car adjacent to his. She was smoking and was flicking her lighter on and off. "Hey," she greeted him, checking him out.

"Hello," Nathan said distantly, trying to get past her.

"Wait," the girl said, walking closer to him. She was a washed-out blonde with black tips. She wore heavy make-up and an extremely short red dress. The girl put her hands lightly on Nathan's chest, leaning into him. He tried not to wince as the smoke from her mouth floated into his own lungs. "What's your name?"

"Sorry, I'm kind of busy," Nathan told her, pushing her away. She stumbled, but didn't stop.

"No, really? What's your name?" she asked interestedly. "I'm Shelly."

A few cars away, Haley was aimlessly walking around. She was feeling slightly nauseous and was going to start vomiting…somewhere. However, she had heard some people talking, one of them sounding slightly familiar. It was Nathan.

"You're the guy from the newspaper," the girl was telling him. "You're that new heir of the hotel chains!"

Haley recognized the girl. Her name was Shelly Simon, and she was the president of the "Clean Teens" club back at their old school. Personally, Haley didn't like the girl, even though Shelly had been intent on making Haley a member of the club and to ditch Brooke. But this was an interesting new development.

"Look, I'm not interested," Nathan told her. "Maybe you should go in or something."

"Are you sure? Because I can keep you company…"

"No, really, I'm fine," Nathan deadpanned. Recognizing defeat, Shelly held her head up high and walked away.

Sighing, Nathan leaned against the car door and stared up at the sky. The moonlight accentuated his handsome features, and he drank in the silent night. However, Haley tripped over a small stone, and Nathan turned towards her direction, wondering who it was now. Realizing that she had been caught, Haley slowly got up, ignoring the nausea.

"Haley? Are you eavesdropping on me?" Nathan asked, disgusted. "God."

Haley swayed a little bit, but she managed to catch herself. She held on to the other cars in order to get to Nathan. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. I-Can-Get-Whatever-I-Want. Don't worry, even if I was eavesdropping on you, you rejecting some girl like that Clean Teen is no new news. You're like Charlotte's newest hero."

"Like I wanted to be!" retorted Nathan. "I never wanted all the hotels or anything like that. If I act like the way I am, it's because I have to. I told you all of this from day one, so why don't you stop making me seem like the bad guy?"

Haley sighed heavily. "You're right. I'm sorry. But even without the hotels, I think you would still be an asshole."

Nathan rubbed his eyes, exhausted from the night's events. "We should get you inside the car." He grabbed her arm, and she collapsed onto him. "God, how much did you drink?"

"You know, I think you should apologize to me," murmured Haley into his chest.

Nathan tried to straighten her up and fish for his keys at the same time. "Apologize to you for what?"

"You did promise me always and forever," mumbled Haley, her vision getting slightly blurry.

Nathan frowned. For some reason, those words seemed to have an effect on him. "What do you…oh my God!" He tried to push her back, for she had started to vomit on him. "These are my new shoes!"

He caught Haley in his arms as the alcohol finally took its toll.

* * *

**I know you're sweet  
But I know you don't want to be seen that way  
Admit defeat, win or lose  
Who cares? It's just a game you play  
I know you need me  
If you stay that way it's never gonna be  
You've got your style  
But I know what you really want from me **

Everyone can see who you are  
Take a look at yourself  
Tell me why keep on denying

**-Denying, Spice Girls**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note: **Hope you all enjoyed it!

Peace. Love. Review. :)


	5. Kiss Me

**Title:** Double Tree Hill Hotel

**Author: **Sweet Sarcasm

**Rating: **PG-13 for language and teen situations

**Author's Note: **Words don't even begin to express how deeply sorry I am. Let's just say that I'm having a very rough year, and hopefully 2008 will be much better. :( And of course, we have my favorite game, Good News/Bad News. Good news is that my writer's block has disappeared, so I've started writing again. Even better news is that I've once again attempted to finish Chapter 4 of **The Bachelor. **I might even update that story this weekend, depending on how fast I get the chapter written. It might be a bit short, but I haven't updated for a year, so it's better than nothing. Bad news…while I do have a plot written out for **The Bachelor**, I need to locate it and actually find the strength to write out the chapters because I have a strong dislike of writing my favorite characters with people who clearly don't belong with them. And for this story…I'm afraid of making this too drama-packed and regretting ever writing this story. I need to outline the plot again and figure out where this is going. I have an idea on how the next two chapters are going to be, but after that is the unknown. BUT, this story has been strongly influenced by The Boy Who Loved Lily, so I might tweak the storyline to fit that.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything you recognize. The game featured in this story has been copied from Hana Yori Dango, Meteor Garden, and of course, The Boy Who Loved Lily by the fabulous RinoaJ (Love you, Jasmine!). I tweaked some of the lines from her story, so all credit goes to her.

* * *

**Kissing is a means of getting two people so close together that they can't see anything wrong with each other.**

**-Rene Yasenek**

* * *

"Rise and shine, buttercup!" a cheery voice rang out. Haley groaned. She felt as if someone had dropped a bag of flaming bricks on her head. She blinked, but it took a few seconds for her vision to get in focus. 

She groaned again. "Why do I feel like hell?"

"That makes two of us," moaned Brooke, rolling over to face Haley. Peyton laughed. "Peyton? What are you doing here?"

The curly blonde was sitting on the edge of Brooke's queen-sized bed as if she had been their friend for years. "Man, you guys were wasted last night." She got up and handed each of them a glass of water and some aspirin.

"You were drinking as much as I was," grumbled Haley, accepting the water. "Why are you so…perky?"

Peyton shrugged, walking over to the dresser. She began to brush her hair and continued, "I can handle my alcohol unlike some people." She shot the two bedridden girls a look. "Besides, I really didn't drink that much. I had soda most of the night."

Brooke groaned and buried her head under her pillow. "What happened last night?" she mumbled.

"You guys don't remember how you got here?" Peyton asked, amused. Both girls shook their heads.

"I don't even remember telling you where I live," mumbled Brooke, sipping her water. "Gah, my head hurts."

"Wait…I remember feeling sick," Haley said suddenly. Peyton snorted.

"That's a start," she replied, clearly amused.

"And…I remember going outside…and talking to Nathan…and…oh my God!" groaned Haley. "I threw up on him!"

_Haley swayed a little bit, but she managed to catch herself. She held on to the other cars in order to get to Nathan. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. I-Can-Get-Whatever-I-Want. Don't worry, even if I was eavesdropping on you, you rejecting some girl like that Clean Teen is no new news. You're like Charlotte's newest hero." _

"_Like I wanted to be!" snorted Nathan. "I never wanted all the hotels or anything like that. If I act like the way I am, it's because I have to. I told you all of this from day one, so why don't you stop making me seem like the bad guy?" _

_Haley sighed heavily. "You're right. I'm sorry. But even without the hotels, I think you would still be an asshole." _

_Nathan rubbed his eyes, exhausted from the night's events. "We should get you inside the car." He grabbed her arm, and she collapsed onto him. "God, how much did you drink?" _

"_You know, I think you should apologize to me," murmured Haley into his chest. _

_Nathan tried to straighten her up and fish for his keys at the same time. "Apologize to you for what?"_

"_You did promise me always and forever," mumbled Haley, her vision getting slightly blurry. _

_Nathan frowned. For some reason, those words seemed to have an effect on him. "What are you…oh my God!" He tried to push her back, for she had started to vomit on him. "These are my new shoes!" _

_He caught Haley in his arms as the alcohol finally took its toll. _

Peyton laughed as Haley commenced to turn bright red and bury her head under the pillow. "You passed out right after that. Oh, and don't worry, Nathan's shoes are fine." Haley almost started to cry from embarrassment.

Brooke laughed a little, even though her head was pounding. "Ha, ha, Tutor Girl! I wish I was there." Haley just groaned in reply.

"And while Haley was throwing up on Nathan, a certain Miss Davis was trying to dance with Lucas," said Peyton, her eyes gleaming. "Well, that was before you threw up. Not on him, though."

Brooke brightened up a little. "Oh, well, at least I didn't pull a Tutor Girl," she said happily.

"Anyways, there was no way in hell that we could have brought you back to our room," continued Peyton. "So we called up Jake and he told us where you lived. Nathan smelled like shit the whole way." Haley moaned again. "Thank God your parents aren't here, Brooke. I think they would have killed us for trespassing."

"They wouldn't have cared," muttered Brooke. "How did you guys get in?"

"We used Nathan's credit card," Peyton said simply.

"A credit card?" Haley said skeptically. "Huh?"

Peyton smiled a little. "You have no idea how many times Lucas and Nathan have locked themselves outside of their house. They can break into any house, no problem. I stayed the night so that I could watch you guys. I didn't know that you guys live together."

Brooke and Haley exchanged a look. "Haley is over here so much that she practically lives here," Brooke fibbed. But it was true. Sort of.

"What time is it?" asked Haley, suddenly aware of the sun shining in through the windows.

"Eleven thirty," answered Peyton, checking her phone. The girls' eyes widened, and they quickly sat up. "Don't worry, you guys don't have to go in today. They're just moving things around for the party. Besides, Nathan managed to sweet talk your manager into giving you guys a day off. You know, I never saw Nathan as a Prince Charming type till last night." She giggled as Haley glared at her.

* * *

"Man, this is tough work," Tim complained as he blew up more balloons. 

"Tim, you're still drunk," Lucas told him dully. Tim just nodded.

"So, Luke, I heard that you broke up with the red whore," Keith Scott told his nephew, smiling a little bit.

"Mr. Scott! I thought you didn't speak badly of women!" Tim said, shocked. Keith rolled his eyes.

"She was a whore, though," agreed Jake, tying some string to the balloons.

"She came home at five o'clock," Lucas said monotonously. "She was still drunk, but I told her it was over."

"So is she still staying with you guys?" asked Jake, passing one of the employees the balloons. "It's gotta be awkward to be sharing a room with her."

Lucas shrugged. "She still has to help out with the party. Maybe she can stay with one of her boyfriends." He sounded bitter.

Tim swung an arm around the sullen blonde's shoulders and patted his head. Lucas just stared at him. "No offense, man, but I always thought you were a wuss for not breaking up with her. I mean, she's hot and everything, but she slept with every guy she met. Except me."

"And me," chimed Jake.

"She tried to, though," pointed out Lucas. Jake just shrugged. "I know I should have broken up with her ages ago, but I don't know. She was just a constant in my life."

Keith gave him a pat on the back. "I know what you mean. Now, we only have ten more hours till Nate's party. So let's move it, move it, move it!" The guys groaned.

* * *

"So, we'll see you later, Mr. Scott," one of the men told Nathan. He just nodded, and buried his head under his arms after they closed the door. Moments later, he heard a knock and was startled when that person just walked in without his permission. 

"Oh. I didn't know you were in here," a voice said, surprised. Nathan lifted his head off the table to face the person who was speaking to him. It was Haley.

"It's you," stated Nathan disgustedly. "Are you here to apologize for ruining my shoes?"

Haley bit her lip from letting the sarcastic remarks combat his words. However, one of them managed to escape. "Dude, even I'm not that hung up over my shoes. I guess you swing the other way, huh?"

Nathan's jaw tightened as he surveyed the tiny auburn girl. "If this is you apologizing, you suck at it."

"Who said that I was here to apologize?" retorted Haley. "I actually came here to work. Oh, but wait, you probably don't know what work is. Working is what grown ups do!"

"You are an ungrateful brat," gritted out Nathan. "After you throw up on me, I lug you home and manage to get you out of trouble with your boss _and_ a day off. And this is how you thank me? You know, if you ever need your life saved, go ask someone else because clearly helping you isn't worth it."

"I never asked you to help me!" cried Haley, her fists tightening to balls. "I'll even tell my boss that I got wasted and that's why I came late if it makes you happy." She spun around to leave the room, but Nathan walked over to her in two strides and grabbed her arm.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" he groaned, running a hand through his dark hair. Haley just glared at him. "Look, you shouldn't even be here. You should be at home, sleeping your hangover off. God, just come back later tonight."

"Don't tell me what to do," snapped Haley. "And who said that I even want to go to your stupid party? Your last one sucked anyway!" The words escaped before Haley could stop them, and her eyes widened. Nathan blinked.

"What are you talking about?" he asked slowly. "When did you go to any of my other parties?"

Haley yanked her arm out of his grasp. "Never mind," she said quietly, avoiding his gaze. She sighed. "Look, you're right. I'm sorry I threw up on you." Nathan cocked his head, surprised at the change of events.

"It's okay," he said gruffly. "You're not the only one." He leaned against the wall, towering over Haley.

She nodded. "And…thanks. For everything," she added, looking at him to make sure he got the meaning. Nathan nodded.

"No problem," he said softly. Haley gulped as his dark blue eyes locked with her brown ones. He slowly picked up the cleaning supplies that she had been holding earlier. "Now, you should go home and get some rest. I wouldn't want you to have a horrible time tonight."

Haley involuntarily held on to the doorknob in case she keeled over. "I…I don't know if I'm going."

Nathan frowned. "Why not? Brooke and Jake are going to be there."

She looked down, shuffling her feet. "I don't know. Clearly, after last night, I don't think I want a repeat of what happened. Besides, there are probably a lot of other people who will be working at the party, so you wouldn't even need me."

The frown was still etched on Nathan's face as he stared down at Haley. Finally, he spoke up. "Haley, I don't want you at my party to work. I want you there as my guest."

Haley could have sworn that her heart skipped a beat. Was she really still talking to Nathan Scott, jackass extraordinaire? He was standing right in front of her, his hard blue eyes now softened and he seemed pretty sincere.

"_It was my fault, Mrs. James," Nathan admitted tearfully. "I'm sorry." His lower lip started to tremble, and unshed tears were housed in his sad, blue eyes. _

"_Oh, Nathan, it wasn't your fault," consoled Lydia. "It was just an accident. They happen all the time."_

_Haley whimpered and burst into tears when her mother applied Neosporin to the wound. Nathan turned slightly pale. _

"_Nathan, why don't you go find your mother?" Haley's mom suggested quietly to the young boy. "I think Haley needs to rest for awhile." Nathan nodded, and turned to Haley. _

"_I'm sorry," he whispered. Haley just looked away, and dejectedly, Nathan walked away. _

_The next day, Haley sat by herself in the hotel kitchen, trying to read a picture book. She was soon joined by Nathan, who was gripping on to a Cracker Jack box. Haley tried to ignore him; she was still angry with him for yesterday's incident. Nathan sighed and opened up the snack box. Inside was a multi-colored plastic bracelet. He smiled at it, and then slipped it onto Haley's wrist. "Don't say I never got you anything," he told her. _

_Haley smiled. The scar on her palm and that bracelet would remain with her for years to come, a reminder of what had happened so many years ago. _

Haley blinked. Where had that come from? She then realized that she had been staring off into space and Nathan was watching her. "Are you okay?" asked Nathan, still looking at her face.

Haley nodded quickly. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she fibbed. "You're right, I should go home." She started to make her way out of the room before Nathan called after her.

"You're still coming tonight, right?" he asked urgently. Haley turned around and flashed him a smile, the first one that Nathan had ever received.

"Why not?"

* * *

Later, when Haley got back home, she headed straight for her bed. Brooke was taking a shower, so she had at least an hour to herself. Getting on her knees, Haley removed a dusty shoebox that had been buried there ever since she had moved in with Brooke. She sneezed when the dust started to fly everywhere, but she didn't really care. 

On the very top, there lay a faded plastic bracelet. However, anyone could tell that at one point the bracelet was painted with vibrant colors. Haley had stopped wearing the bracelet right after her parents had abandoned her for the world. But now, as she cradled the bracelet in her palms, Haley smiled to herself and slipped it on her right wrist. She turned her palm over to examine the deep scar that was still etched on her skin.

"Haley?" Brooke came out of the bathroom in nothing but a robe. She was drying her wet hair with a towel.

Haley quickly stood up, kicking the box at the same time. "Oh, hi. What's up?"

Brooke frowned suspiciously. "Nothing," she said slowly. "Why did you come back?"

Haley shrugged and walked away from her bed. "I didn't feel like working," she replied. "They're just setting up for the party."

Brooke smiled beatifically. "Speaking of which…"

"Uh oh," said Haley nervously, not liking the expression on Brooke's face. "Why do I have a feeling that I'm not going to like whatever you're about to say?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Brooke protested. She circled the poor girl, examining her from head to foot.

"Brooke," Haley said warningly.

Brooke threw her hands up in defeat and dropped the towel. "Okay, okay! Don't get your panties in a bunch." Haley glared at her. "I just got bad news. Turns out that Jamie's parents surprised her with a trip to Tahiti for graduation."

"And she didn't invite you? That bitch," joked Haley. Brooke shook her head.

"I know, right? But that's not it. You see, Jamie was girl number ten in my routine for tonight and…"

"No," interrupted Haley.

"But Hales!" whined Brooke. "I really need you!"

"No, no, and no," Haley said firmly. "I'm not gonna do it."

"If you loved me, then you would help me out!" countered Brooke.

"Don't try that crap with me," Haley told her. "You know that I hate dancing in front of people."

"You didn't last night," muttered Brooke. She was silenced with a glare. "But I need you!"

"Why don't you call someone else? There are fourteen girls on the squad," said Haley, really not intent on performing that night.

"Okay, Alicia, Cindy, Heather, Serra, Lila, Hope, Ella, and Isabel are already coming tonight. But Trina's doing this summer camp thing, Tessa and Valerie are in San Lucas, and Jillian is already in New York. That makes me girl number 9, and it wouldn't look right unless there are ten of us!" explained Brooke. "Please, Hales?"

"Brooke…" sighed Haley. Then her eyes lit up. "Why don't you get Peyton to fill in for you? She's a cheerleader!"

Brooke shook her head. "She's already doing her own routine with her squad, remember?" she reminded her friend. "It would be too controversial if she was in both."

"Oh, the humanity!" Haley cried out dramatically. She sobered when Brooke just stared at her. "Sorry."

"Please, Hales, I swear I'll never ask you for anything else again," pleaded Brooke, getting on her knees. "I just really need you for tonight."

Haley sighed as she stared down at the pouting brunette. "Why is this so important to you?" she asked. "I mean, it's not like it's a national competition or anything."

Brooke got up and sat on her bed. "You don't understand. I have to prove to everyone that I'm the best at something. I'm not smart or athletic or whatever. The only things that I have are cheerleading and my clothes, and right now, the latter isn't going anywhere. I just need to prove to all those rich kids that I can still do this on my own."

Haley was quiet. "I'm probably going to regret this, but…" she trailed off. "Why the hell not?" Brooke squealed and jumped up to give Haley a hug.

"Oh, you're the best! Whatever you want, you got it," promised Brooke, the glint returning to her eyes.

Haley chuckled. "I'm holding your word for it, Davis," she laughed. "So you better deliver."

"Will do," dismissed Brooke. "Now, we only have a few hours to get ready! Shit!" She dragged Haley downstairs to start practicing.

* * *

The rest of the team joined the girls later. Haley wasn't lying when she said she wasn't a dancer; she was a total klutz. Several times, she bumped into the girls and stepped on their feet, apologizing profusely. Brooke placed her in the back where no one could really see her, which made Haley feel slightly better. She had managed to learn twelve eight counts in six hours, and Brooke changed the ending so that Haley would have an easier time. 

Three hours before the party, the girls began to get ready for the party. Brooke managed to find an extra uniform for Haley, which fit her perfectly. True to her word, Brooke was also in charge of doing Haley's hair and make-up, much to her dismay. "Please don't make me look like whore," begged Haley as Brooke examined Haley's face.

"What's your definition of a whore?" Brooke asked innocently, twirling the blush brush between her fingers. Haley gave her a look. "Oh, come on, Hales! Think of this as a Broadway show or something. You wouldn't wear light make-up if you're performing. The lighting will definitely pale your face and the people in the back won't be able to see anything except for a very white face. That's why we need to go bright and bold."

"Don't worry, Hales, it won't be as bad as the Spring Classic or Halloween," Cindy reassured her. She was a petite blonde who also ran track whenever she wasn't cheerleading. She was the tomboy of the group. "Just…don't piss Brooke off." She shuddered as the other girls nodded in agreement. Haley gulped.

"Are we teasing our hair, Brooke?" asked Hope, a strawberry blonde. She was holding a small comb in one hand and a curling iron in the other.

Brooke screwed her eyes shut for a second, contemplating the matter. "Yeah. We're doing high pigtails, so divide your hair before teasing it." Hope nodded, and she put down the iron.

Haley groaned as she touched her ponytail. "This night is going to be hell," she moaned.

"No, it won't," Brooke said absentmindedly. "Now stop blinking or else I might poke your eye with this!" She held the eyeliner pencil menacingly.

* * *

"Happy birthday, Nathan!" a pompous woman greeted Nathan. He offered her a tight-lipped smile. 

"Thank you," he responded for the millionth time.

"It's a shame that your father couldn't have been here today," the woman continued, shaking her head sadly. "It's not every day his son turns eighteen."

Nathan gestured to Lucas, who was busy talking to some of his friends. "He was there when Lucas turned eighteen."

The woman turned to Lucas, and sniffed. "Oh, yes, how could I forget?" she said dismally. Nathan sighed.

"Hey, Nathan," a voice greeted him from behind. Nathan almost sagged in relief to turn his attention away from the arrogant woman. He turned around and found Jake awkwardly standing there.

"Hey," he said back, then turned to the woman. "If you'll excuse me." She nodded, and gave him a fake smile. He inwardly rolled his eyes.

"Looks like you're having a blast," joked Jake, noting the bored expression on the birthday boy's face.

"Really? Is it that obvious?" Nathan said dully. He noticed that Jake was alone. "Where's Haley? I know that Brooke's coming for sure," he quickly added, not wanting Jake to get the wrong impression.

Jake gave him a weird look, but didn't call Nathan on it. "With Brooke. They're doing some last minute touch ups." He looked around the room. "It's so weird to see that half the people here are either in basketball jerseys or cheerleading outfits and then the other half are wearing nice ballroom clothes." He himself was wearing a Suns jersey while Nathan sported a Bulls jersey with Michael Jordan's number on the back.

"What's even more disturbing is to see some of the people wear the jerseys or short cheerleading outfits when they shouldn't be," shuddered Nathan. He was referring to the woman who he had been talking to. Apparently, she was trying to pass off as a Lakers girl.

Jake laughed. "Hey, are all of your parents' friends and stuff going to hang out with us, or are you sending them to another room? I mean, the things we have planned for you aren't exactly parent-friendly."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Of course! After dinner, they're going to one of the ballrooms where my mother and her associates are going to be discussing their many charities," Nathan said mockingly. "Thank God."

"Jake! You made it!" Lucas approached them with a few guys in tow.

"Hey, man, good to see you," grinned Jake, giving Lucas the half hug. "Magic Johnson? Classic."

"Nice choice with Nash," nodded Lucas. "The man's got game."

"With a huge ass nose," one of the other guys added. "I'm Junk. This is Skills, Mouth, and Fergie." Each one nodded in response.

"Jake," he said in return. "Nice to meet you."

"Can you believe the people with Lakers jersey?" scoffed Fergie.

"Hey, are you guys dissing the Lakers?" a new voice rang in. It was Peyton.

"Of course not!" Junk said innocently. "Just the people who support them." Peyton stuck her tongue out.

"Please. Next year, they are so going to own," she snorted, flipping her short, curly hair. There were a lot of "yeah, rights" and "uh huh" in response. "They are! And anyways, Brooke and I are going to change into our Lakers outfits later because we're cool like that."

"Ugh, I thought I told her to burn that thing," grumbled Jake. Peyton glared at him.

"Oh, and Lucas, is it okay if I kick your girlfriend's ass tonight? That bitch tried using hairspray on me!" complained Peyton, tugging her hair.

"Actually, it's ex-girlfriend and be my guest," corrected Lucas. Peyton's eyes widened.

"Oh, my God, when did this happen?" she asked.

"Oh, at around five o'clock in the morning," Lucas said bitterly.

"Please, you're better off without her," Nathan told his brother. "You deserve way better." Peyton smiled; she loved how the Scott brothers had each other's backs. Lucas just sighed.

"Man, every time I see you, you're always brooding," someone commented from behind them. "I think I'll call you Broody!" Everyone turned to see Brooke, her hands on her hips and looking up at Lucas.

"And every time I see you, you're always cheering," Lucas replied dryly. "Maybe I'll call you Cheery."

"Broody and Cheery," Jake said aloud. "Sounds like two of the missing Seven Dwarves." Brooke just rolled her eyes. "Where's Hales?"

"Hmm? She's right behind...Tutor Girl! Get your ass here right now," commanded Brooke. When no one appeared, she stomped her foot in frustration. "Ugh!" She marched over to one of the pillars, pulled someone from behind it, and dragged her to the rest of the group. "Ta da! Isn't she fabulous?"

"Haley…you look…very cheerleader," Lucas told her, laughing a little. "You just don't look like a cheerful cheerleader."

"Yeah, you look like you're about to bust a move," choked out Jake. Haley glowered at him.

"She's an evil Nazi," she muttered. "She seriously thinks of ways on how to torture people and then she does it and she's just pure evil!"

Peyton laughed. "Aw, Haley, I think you look cute," she told her, smiling. "Right, Nate?"

Nathan, who had been trying his hardest not to stare the moment she walked in, just gave an incoherent answer that only Brooke and Peyton were able to interpret. Haley blushed, and looked away. Jake's eyes narrowed slightly, and Lucas just grinned. Deciding it was time to save the day, he nodded towards the stage. "Hey, there's your mom, Nate. I think we're going to start now."

Everyone turned to see a pretty blonde standing at the microphone. "Hello, everybody! First of all, I just want to wish my son a happy birthday. So, happy birthday, Nate!" All the people, young and old, turned towards Nathan with their glasses raised and a ripple of happy birthdays were directed to him. Nathan's friends laughed and nudged him while he just grinned, acknowledging his audience. "I can't believe that my baby's growing up!" Everyone laughed. "Sorry, Nate, I'll try not to embarrass you in front of your friends anymore." Nathan groaned. "Anyways, Nathan's friends have something planned for him, so the rest of us old people will be in the Aurora ballroom next door where there will be a presentation on HIV awareness."

"Hey, does that mean Rachel will be next door?" muttered Peyton, making Haley and Brooke laugh.

"So, here's to Nathan," Mrs. Scott continued, holding out her glass. "Have a great time!"

After everyone clinked their glasses, those over the age of thirty made their way out of the room. Lucas replaced Mrs. Scott on the stage to make a speech. "Hey, everybody," he said into mic. Sporadic cheers and catcalls to Lucas were made, and he just shook his head, grinning. "Well, it's Nate's big eighteenth bash, and well, we're gonna have a blast. So get comfortable, grab some food, and I promise that you'll have a good time. Happy birthday, bro!" Lucas stuck his fist in the air, and Nathan nodded in return.

On that note, the DJ started playing the music, but a large group of teens made their way to the food. Haley, Brooke, and Jake got their own table in the back corner while Nathan and all of his close friends got the long table in the front.

"I feel like I'm on My Super Sweet Sixteen," whispered Haley, looking around the room in awe.

"Yeah, do you think the elephants and the Spice Girls are hiding in the back?" commented Jake sarcastically. His eighteenth birthday had involved a surprise party at Chuckie E. Cheese with a bunch of his younger cousins. Needless to say, he was still a little bitter.

Brooke clapped her hands excitedly. "That makes so much sense! The Spice Girls are finally united since from forever, and their first gig is a birthday bash for one of the hottest (Right, Hales?) hotel heirs in North Carolina!"

"You do realize I was being sarcastic, right?" Jake asked her worriedly. Brooke rolled her eyes.

"So was I," Brooke told him cheerfully.

"Dear God, if that was you being sarcastic, then I don't want to know what you're like when you're actually being serious," Jake moaned.

"Hey, I didn't know that the Spice Girls are back together," Haley said suddenly. Brooke's eyes lit up.

"Yeah! They were united on June –" Brooke was interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the cheerleaders. "Oh, hey, guys."

"Damn, this sure beats out all of my birthday parties, including my fifteenth," sighed Alicia, a pretty girl with dark brown hair. "You guys remember that?"

"You mean the birthday where we got stuck a cornfield for five hours?" Ella snorted, taking a sip of her water. "Yeah, I'm still trying to forget about that." Alicia stuck her tongue out at her.

"So, Jake, how's Jen-Jen?" asked Hope, turning to the only male at the table. She had always had a little crush on him, and while she was a very nice girl, Jake just didn't like her in that way.

Jake smiled. "Oh, she's doing great. My cousins are watching her right now, actually."

"If you ever need anyone to watch her, just let me know," Hope said shyly. Jake nodded, smiling a little bit.

Lila turned to Haley, who was sitting on her left. She was a pretty Asian girl and one of the most outspoken students in the school. Grinning, she said, "So, Haley, I heard that you've been crushing on one of the guests here."

Haley turned scarlet, taken aback. She shot a glare at Brooke, who just shrugged innocently. "Wh-where did you hear that?"

The rest of the girls giggled. "I think it's romantic," Hope told her. "Childhood sweethearts who haven't seen each other in years finally reunite once again."

"And yet here I am, working for him," Haley muttered.

"Hey, you can be like…"

"Say Cinderella and I'll stab you in the jugular," finished Haley, glaring at the table. They all laughed.

"You know, I would have never thought I would be alive to see the day where innocent Tutor Girl would be threatening me with a knife," Lila said thoughtfully.

"Clearly, you've never met Haley James," replied Brooke, nudging Haley was still grumbling and glaring.

The rest of the meal was filled with great food and laughter. Haley was still feeling tense about the upcoming event, but she kept her nerve. After all, it's not as if she knew many people here. Most of the people she knew would be performing on stage with her, so they wouldn't be watching her. Jake, yes, Jake would give her a hard time, but if she begged, he would leave her alone. That just left Peyton, who she loved; Rachel, who she wouldn't even talk to even if she had the chance to be given millions of dollars; Tim, whose eyes would probably not even be trained on her; and Lucas, who was too much of a gentleman to say anything to her (though he would be probably watching the other girls, since he was a male).

Oh, and Nathan, but he didn't count. He was a chauvinist pig who would probably make fun of her and bring it up constantly. He'd probably make rude remarks just to get a rise out of her. After he was done, then he'd demand a supply of whipped cream and condoms for himself and his newest fling.

She sighed. He wasn't really like that. He could be a jackass, but he wouldn't stoop that low. And maybe he wouldn't do all those things. Maybe he'd be a complete gentleman and just not bring up the subject again. Which would make her like him even more. Dammit.

Not that she liked him in that way, of course. Just as a person and potential friend.

She hadn't even finished her dinner yet and already she was overanalyzing things.

"Haley? Are you okay? It looks like your brain's caving in or something."

And now she looked like a complete idiot.

"Maybe it was all the hairspray. We did use like, ten cans in one hour."

"Wow, cheerleaders really are concerned about global warning. Way to go, ladies."

"Please, Jagelski, we were indoors when we were doing our hair."

"Dear Lord, spare me now."

"Hey, Jake, man. Introduce us!"

"What's wrong with Haley? Why is she hitting her head like that?"

"Haley, are you okay?"

"Her brain's caving in because of all the hairspray they used to deplete the ozone layer."

"Yeah, that would give me a headache, too."

"Broody, everything gives you a headache."

"And Cheery, I think you might be the cause of them."

"You haven't even known me for that long."

"First impressions last."

"And I've already pegged you down for typical jock. You know, shallow jock, fake bimbo cheerleader."

"Funny, the last bit was how I pegged you."

"Maybe you guys should do us a favor and go find yourselves a room, then," snapped Haley, tired of the endless conversation.

Brooke and Lucas exchanged a disdainful look and looked away. "Yeah, right, we don't know where he's been," Brooke whispered, careful to make sure that he wouldn't hear her. Haley rolled her eyes, knowing she was referring to Rachel.

"Jake!" whined Tim, making not-so-subtle glances at the other cheerleaders. "Introduce, man!"

Jake sighed, knowing the only way to make Tim shut up was to give him what he wanted. "This is Hope, Lila, Cindy, Alicia, Heather, Serra, Isabel and Ella. And hopefully, you already know Brooke and Haley. Ladies, Tim."

"What's up, ladies?" Tim said suavely, taking a seat next to Isabel and Alicia. They rolled their eyes.

Peyton sat in the first empty seat next to Brooke and Haley. "So, Rachel's over there, bragging how our routine is going to upstage yours'."

All the girls, excluding Haley, who was still peeved, rolled their eyes. "Oh, please, that girl is all talk," snorted Brooke. "Her team couldn't even win the Winter Classic! Her routine's probably overused."

"It is kind of too mainstream for me," Peyton said thoughtfully. "But it's not that bad."

Brooke patted Peyton's hand. "Hey, no matter what happens, no hard feelings, okay?"

"Even if we win?" grinned Peyton.

"Um, no, I don't want you to have any hard feelings against me or Hales when my team beats your asses," corrected Brooke. The other girls cheered.

"Yeah, well, just be glad that it's cheerleading you guys are competing in, not basketball, because we all know who's going to win that," Lucas told the confident brunette, seeming to forget that two of his new friends had attended the same school as her. The whole table sensed that a less friendly argument was about to begin, and yet only Haley tried to prevent it.

"Um, you guys…" she began, but she was interrupted by Brooke.

"Oh, please, our basketball team could so take on your team any day, any time," she retorted. "Just because you won one championship –"

"Actually, seven in a row," corrected Lucas. The brunette's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I meant seven championships," spat Brooke. "But I bet you guys would get your asses kicked by our team if there was a rematch."

"God, this is probably going to go on forever," groaned Haley, making sure the two volatile teens wouldn't hear her.

"It's weird, Lucas isn't usually this argumentative, unless it's about something he loves, like literature," Peyton said, frowning a little bit. "Brooke really brings the worst out of him."

"Definitely. But they're so into each other," Lila, the relationship guru, observed. "Watch, they're getting married in a few years, if not earlier."

Everyone, sans the ones being talked about, stared at her. "You just met Lucas literally thirty seconds ago and you're already planning their wedding?" Jake said, dumbfounded.

"The scary thing is that she's usually right about these things," Isabel said grimly. "I lost so much money to her after the Brad/Angelina hook-up. And the Tom-Katie marriage. And Pamela and Rick. And…"

"Basically every tabloid couple, then," Haley said dryly.

Isabel nodded. "She even knew that you and Jake were going to get together, but you would break up for Brooke, and then they would break up. And this was like, freshman year."

"We didn't even know each other freshman year," Jake told her, confused.

"Exactly," shuddered the dark-haired cheerleader. They gawked.

"I don't get it," Tim spoke up. "He's always moping around and reading books. She's…really hot." Peyton smacked him on the side of his head. "Ow!"

"Opposites attract," Lila replied, rolling her eyes.

Rachel decided to make her appearance at that moment. "Hey, we need to introduce the first performers," she told Peyton and Tim. She wasn't too happy that Lucas and Brooke were still quarrelling over God knows what. "You ready?"

The two former Tree Hill students stood up. "Luke. We gotta go," Tim informed the angry blonde.

Lucas pulled out of the argument with one last glare, and walked towards the stage, Rachel and Tim at his heels. Peyton smiled at the red-faced Brooke. "Why is he so infuriating?" griped Brooke, her jaw taut.

"Hey, you were singing a completely different tune last night," Peyton told her. "You thought he was hot." Brooke snorted.

"Yeah, right," she said, rolling her eyes.

"No, I'm being totally serious. You even told him to his face," added Peyton. "You were a little tipsy, though, so…" Brooke's eyes widened.

"Oh my God, I didn't kiss him, did I?" she whispered, completely repulsed by the idea.

Peyton laughed. "Um, no. But I vaguely remember watching him hold your hair while you puked outside." Brooke groaned.

"Kill me now," she moaned.

"At least he's being a gentleman and choosing not to hold it over you," Haley offered helpfully. Brooke just glared at her.

"Peyton Sawyer! Now!" shrieked Rachel from across the room. Peyton rolled her eyes and stood up as well.

"Well, the evil bitch is calling, so I have to go. See you guys in a few minutes and good luck!" She gave Haley and Brooke a hug before trotting off to the front of the stage.

Haley's face paled after Peyton left. "I think I'm going to be sick," she murmured, slinking down into her chair. Jake squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"Hales, you're going to do fine. Just relax and have fun," Jake told her. This did little to mollify her.

"Shut up, I can't hear what they're saying," hissed Isabel, motioning towards the stage. Everyone turned to see Tim, Peyton, Lucas, and Rachel on stage. Nathan was sitting at the high table with a bunch of his other friends.

"Hey, is everyone having a good time?" called Peyton. All the guests cheered in response. "In celebration of Nathan's birthday, we're going to have a lot of awesome performances tonight. First, our very own Black Ravens are going to perform their newest album." All the students from Tree Hill screamed in excitement.

Tim took the microphone from Peyton. "After that, prepare for some sexy dancing from the cheerleaders! Bam chicka wah wah!" Everyone laughed while the girls just rolled their eyes.

Rachel snatched the mic away from him, giving him a dirty look. "But these routines are going to go extreme. Not only do we have our kick ass cheerleading team here today to perform, but we're having a dance off with the local Charlotte High Cougars. Why don't we give them a hand?" she said in a bored, monotone voice.

The Tree Hill students clapped politely while Brooke's table, sans Haley, went crazy. Nathan caught Haley's eye and rolled his eyes. Haley shook her head and smiled.

"After all those 'fun' festivities, our rockin' DJ Mouth McFadden will spin some discs all night long," Lucas finished up, pointing to a skinny boy in the corner. He raised his hand in recognition.

"Happy Birthday, Nathan!" finished the four teens. Everyone started to cheer and scream again.

Serra rubbed her hands together. "This is going to be fun," she said excitedly. "We're so going to kick these losers' asses."

Brooke slapped the back of Haley's head, who recoiled. "Hey! What was that for?" whined Haley, rubbing her head.

"You need to relax," Brooke emphasized. "If you keep freaking out, then you're going to get sick and we need all ten girls! Besides, you've done this before in front of hundreds of people who actually know and love you. I don't know why you're so nervous."

"Maybe it's because her luv-uh is out there," murmured Lila. Haley glared at her, but was too nervous to snap back.

"Is that what this is?" asked Brooke, suddenly understanding her friend's current state. "Because of Nathan?"

"No!" cried out Haley. "God, I'm so fed up with everyone trying to link everything to him! You know I get stage fright, particularly when I'm going to dance in front of thousands of strangers! I suck at dancing! All those times I subbed for you for basketball was mind-numbingly easy. This actually requires effort."

"Well, I don't think that there are thousands of people here tonight," Jake said easily, doing a quick survey of the room. "And while you do suck at dancing ("Thanks a lot," said Haley), this is almost like us performing at Star. Just think of it like that."

"Yeah, you're an amazing singer, Hales," Hope chimed in. "Jake's right. With singing, you only have like, three other people onstage with you if you're lucky. But tonight, there are nine other people and you're in the back. So chill, okay?"

Haley sighed. She knew that everyone was right, but she was still feeling the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She took a deep breath, smiled at the table, and decided to enjoy her last moments before their routine.

* * *

The Black Ravens was a decent group, even though Jake and Haley both knew that the bass player probably had started playing two months prior to this performance and the singer was off-key on some of the notes. Ella and Alicia developed a crush on the drummer and the singer, and were two of the many screaming groupies at the base of the stage. At the end of the set, their table clapped enthusiastically as the band finished their last song. 

Tim took their place. "Hello, ladies!" he crooned to the girls assembled by his feet. A lot of them walked away, and he pouted. "Anyway, the Black Ravens rocked, as usual. But to make things a little bit steamier, we have our Tree Hill Ravens! Make Tim proud!" All the partygoers went wild as the music started and the lights swiveled towards the Tree Hill cheerleaders.

"Ours is so much better," Brooke told Haley, shaking her head. Rachel's routine consisted of many standard cheerleading moves danced to the summer hits that were constantly played on the radio. Peyton was one of the girls dancing in the front, and Haley was surprised to see the grungy, artistic girl transform to a bubbly cheerleader.

By the end of their routine, Haley felt as if her stomach was about to drop to the ground at any moment. All the other girls were hyped up and determined to show the suburban teens not to mess with them. As Rachel and her team jumped up and down, cheering for their former high school, Jake gave Brooke and Haley a hug. "Go kick some ass," he told them.

"Will do!" Brooke said cheerfully. Haley was still unable to form any words.

On their way up to the stage, Peyton also gave a hug to the two girls. She was grinning from ear to ear. "Good luck, you guys!" she told them, her voice one decibel higher than usual.

"You did awesome out there!" Brooke told her, letting the rest of her team go on the stage before her. "I would have never pegged you for the cheering type, P. Sawyer."

Peyton's grin never faltered. "Well, let's see what you got, Nazi Cheerleader."

Rachel appeared right next to Peyton. "Yeah. Let's see you bring it on."

Brooke smirked, flipping her long hair. "Oh, we will. After all, I do think that the Winter Classic trophy is sitting on my nightstand."

Peyton laughed while Rachel just rolled her eyes. "Break a leg, Hales," Peyton told the stationary Haley.

"Not literally," Brooke said quickly. Haley nodded mutely.

"Brooke! Haley! Let's go!" hissed Serra, motioning them towards the stage.

Brooke grabbed Haley and dragged her onstage. Tim was already up there, ready to introduce the next act. "Well, we all know that our girls kicked ass, but let's see if our hot competitors can do any better. Let's hear it for the Charlotte High Cougars!"

There was a smattering of applause here and there, and Brooke and the rest of the cheerleaders jumped up and down, trying to pump them up. There was a short pause as they waited for the music to start. "Go Haley!" cheered Lucas, who was sitting right next to Nathan. Haley smiled nervously and was glad that she couldn't see anyone due to the lighting.

Everyone chuckled as the beginning notes of "Paradise City" by Guns 'n' Roses started. Unlike Rachel's routine, Brooke had a lot more stunts and different types of dances incorporated in her routine, and the music was definitely a change compared to the hip-hop songs cheerleading routines usually consisted of. Despite this being the "rival" team, the crowd loved it.

Haley was doing an okay job, stumbling a few times. But since she was in the back, no one really noticed. Brooke had placed her as a back spotter for the stunts, which was one of the easier jobs. Haley had begun to relax and really enjoy herself for once. But she was apprehensive for the ending, where the ten girls would form a kick line and do high kicks in unison. Haley had never really grasped the technique of the high kick and knew that her feeble kicks would look bad among the others'.

Among the audience, Nathan was laughing and cheering along with everyone else. For some reason, he couldn't keep his eyes off of Haley, who was semi-hidden in the back most of the time. He was staring so much that his brother couldn't help but notice as well. "Haley's looking pretty good up there, isn't she?" he yelled over the noise.

Nathan jumped. "I can't hear you!" he lied, tearing his gaze away from the auburn girl.

Lucas chuckled. "You should ask her to dance tonight!" he said loudly.

"Why should I?" Nathan said rather rudely. Lucas just shook his head, amused.

As the music reached its climax and ending, the instrumentals rapidly picked up and the girls prepared for the kick line. "Ready, Hales?" screamed Brooke over the music. Haley shook her head frantically, and Brooke just laughed, throwing her arm around her shoulder.

"Right leg. Left leg. Right leg. Left leg," Haley said to herself. She was placed towards the middle next to Cindy and Brooke, whose high kicks were two inches higher than her own. But she overestimated the strength of her kick and ended up landing on her butt. A loud gasp was heard throughout the large room and for two seconds, none of the girls knew what to do.

Haley just gazed up at Brooke in horror, whose face had scrunched up. Haley squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for Brooke's wrath. But to her utter shock, Brooke started to laugh. The other girls looked at each other in confusion, wondering if their Nazi cheerleader had finally lost it. But Brooke helped Haley to her feet and started jumping up and down, making weird faces, and doing her version of the robot. While the audience looked at her like she was insane, her team caught on to what she was doing and started doing their own moves. Even though Haley was thoroughly humiliated with herself, Brooke grabbed her hand and twirled her around. "Just relax!" she yelled, a glowing smile on her face. Haley laughed when Brooke started to do the running man and let herself go with the music.

Peyton, who was sitting next to Mouth and Lucas, grabbed the both of them and started dancing. Pretty soon, everyone else had followed her lead and was rocking out to the music as well.

The song finally ended, and everyone began to cheer wildly. The girls held hands and bowed, waving and smiling all the while. When they got off the stage, they were bombarded by Rachel and her team. "Well. I guess everyone likes your routine better than mine," Rachel said coolly, directing her statement to Brooke. "Even though your friend screwed up at the end, they still liked it."

"Thanks!" beamed Brooke. "You did a great job, too, Rachel." She held out her hand, and Rachel grudgingly shook it.

"Let's go girls," she told her squad, and they all followed their fearless leader, nodding at the other squad in recognition. Peyton stayed behind.

"You guys can go eat," Brooke told her squad. They all cheered (they were, after all, cheerleaders), and raced towards the buffet table.

Peyton wouldn't stop smiling. "Well, Nazi cheerleader, I'm impressed. Using a Guns 'n' Roses song was definitely original. The ending, however, was the best part."

Brooke giggled. "Thanks, P. Sawyer! But I'm just really proud of my Tutor Girl." She nudged Haley playfully.

"I'm just glad it's finally over!" Haley sighed in relief. "My ass hurts, too." They all laughed.

Jake and Lucas made their way to the girls at the same time. "Haley, I'm so proud of you!" Jake told his ex-girlfriend, giving her a big hug.

"Yeah, you were great out there!" echoed Lucas, giving her a hug as well.

Brooke planted her hands on her hips. "Hey, about me? You know, the head cheerleader who totally saved Haley's ass out there?"

Jake laughed and gave her a hug. "You know you were awesome. I just don't want to inflate your already huge head." Brooke stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yeah, you were okay out there," allowed Lucas, folding his arms. The brunette smiled.

"Thank you, Broody. It means a lot to me that you think that," she said, a shadow of a smirk staring to appear. Lucas made a face. She turned to Haley and Peyton. "Are you guys ready to shake it out there?" She motioned to the dance floor, where a large group of people had already started to assemble.

"More dancing? I want to take a break," complained Haley.

"Fat change," Peyton told her, and she and Brooke dragged her onto the dance floor.

"How could you date her?" Lucas asked Jake. Jake just shrugged.

"Obviously, you've never had Brooke Davis' charms directed towards you," Jake sighed.

Lucas shook his head. "I'm pretty sure I'm strong enough to resist them," he declared, shooting one last look at the pretty brunette. Jake just smiled knowingly. "Hey, do you want to hang out by the table? Us guys aren't really into dancing, so we'll probably be there all night long."

Jake shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Wow, this music is great!" Brooke remarked loudly. She, Peyton, and Haley were at the core of all the dancing.

"Can I sit down now?" Haley asked for the umpteenth time.

"You and your complaining," Peyton said teasingly. "Fine, go take a seat."

"Thank you!" exclaimed Haley in relief, and she raced towards the beverages table before they changed their minds. She grabbed the ladle and poured herself a glass of punch, wincing as she tasted the alcohol laced with the fruit juice. "Yuck."

"Not ready for another night of alcohol?" a voice said from behind her. Haley whirled around to find Lucas smiling at her.

She shook her head. "Ugh, not really. I think I learned my lesson last night," she grimaced. Lucas grinned.

"Yeah, I think Nathan's shoes did as well," he teased. Haley just scowled at him. "Kidding! But I do think that you should stay away from any of the beverages that's been exposed to the public, mainly Tim. You're no fun when you're wasted."

"Gee, thanks," Haley said sarcastically, putting down her glass. She sighed when the music changed to a slower song and all the couples trickled onto the dance floor.

Lucas noticed this and asked, "Hey, do you want to dance?" He offered his hand out to her.

Haley smiled and took it. "Sure." He then guided her onto the dance floor among all the other swaying couples.

Across the room, a certain birthday boy glowered as he observed the dancing couple. Jake, who had considerably warmed up to Nathan during the course of the night, also noticed the new development and glanced at Nathan. He shook his head in amusement. "Maybe you should ask her to dance," he suggested lightly.

Nathan's jaw tightened and his brows furrowed. "Why should I? We don't even get along that well. Besides, it looks like she's having a pretty good time with _Lucas_." He spat out his brother's name in distaste. Jake didn't make any further comments, but just smiled knowingly.

The song finally ended and a more upbeat one took its place. Lucas and Haley headed towards Nathan's table to rest for a while. They were greeted by a sullen Nathan and had just walked into one of Rachel's rants. "This party is so boring! Nothing exciting is happening," she complained. "We need some drama."

"We already have it," Nathan said under his breath, but no one really heard him.

Tim laughed drunkenly and suavely put his arm around Rachel's shoulder, only to be swatted off. "Want to make this shindig a little bit more interesting? I think I have just the thing."

He hopped off his chair and made his way to the DJ booth, where he exchanged some words with Mouth, who nodded reluctantly. Haley nervously looked away from Nathan, who seemed to be watching her every time she glanced in his direction. "Hey, Tutor Girl!" a loud voice chirped. "What's happening?"

Haley shrugged and gestured to Tim. "Tim is trying to make the party more exciting."

"This place is already hot! The music is awesome," Brooke commented, pushing back her hair away from her glistening face.

"Yeah, well," mumbled Haley, catching Nathan looking at her once again. Was it just her imagination, or did he keep glaring at her and Lucas?

"Hey, everybody, I have a game!" Tim announced over the microphone, slurring his words a bit. "I all know that we've been dying to kiss a certain someone, so right now's your chance!"

"What the hell is he talking about?" Peyton asked in confusion. Everyone shrugged.

"When I say go, Mouth is going to shut off all the lights for eighteen seconds, cause, you know, Nate is turning eighteen," said Tim, adopting a "no duh" tone. "When the lights go off, everyone is going to find that special someone and they get to make out with them for eighteen seconds. Boy on boy is strongly discouraged, but girl on girl is more than welcome." He waggled his eyebrows.

"TIM!" all his friends exclaimed in horror.

"Are you ready?" asked Tim, ignoring all his friends. Everyone else seemed psyched, if not confused. "Ready…set…go!"

All the lights flickered off at once, immersing the entire room in darkness. Most of the girls screamed out of instinct, but pretty soon there was a flurry of movement as everyone scrambled around, trying to find someone to kiss. There were a lot of angry curses as a lot of the girls tried to claw their way towards Nathan and Lucas.

Haley, who had been standing the entire time, was horrified when she could faintly make out a large mass pushing their way towards her. She squeaked when they pushed even harder, causing her to fall. She was dismayed when she realized that she hadn't smashed her face onto the floor, but rather onto a person, who was groaning in pain.

Before she tried to push herself up, the lights came back on and she was surprised to find her lips firmly planted onto…

…

…

…

Nathan Scott's.

* * *

**Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight  
Lead me out on the moonlit floor  
Lift your open hand  
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance  
Silver moon's sparkling  
So kiss me. **

**-Kiss Me, Sixpence None the Richer **

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note: **So this wasn't the best chapter in the world and there were a lot of parts that might have seemed totally OOC and unbelievable, but this is my longest chapter to date. I've been getting a lot of hits for this story, so please review this chapter! (And I'm talking to all you lurkers. :D) To all my other reviewers, thank you guys so much! Your reviews seriously make my day.

I think I've babbled long enough so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and happy holidays!

Peace. Love. Review. :)


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